


Gilded Cage

by xiamei



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Captivity, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Gaslighting, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Physical Abuse, Power Imbalance, Slow Burn, Stockholm Syndrome, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2018-12-05 09:59:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 46,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11575734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiamei/pseuds/xiamei
Summary: "And at that very moment, as if the force itself had seen into his worst nightmares and conspired to make them true, the very last person in the galaxy Ezra ever wanted to see appeared in the doorway."Ezra finds himself in the Mandalorian palace- captured by Darth Maul, who is once again the shadow puppeteer behind Sundari's new leadership. Maul keeps Ezra captive as his little palace bird- as Ezra struggles between wanting to escape and wanting to accept his new life.





	1. Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All art was made by my good friend and co-author ConscientiousMonster at http://conscientiousmonster.tumblr.com/

Ezra wasn't sure what had happened to lead up to this. How did he find himself suddenly waking up, groggy head pounding, on a lush bed in this luxuriously decorated room? What was this place?

 

The last he knew he was on the Ghost with Hera, Kanan and the crew- Ezra, Sabine and Zeb had spent all night playing Sabbac while they were en route to Yavin 4. After the game- which they had played while drinking copious amounts of blue milk and eating space waffles for snacks- Ezra had retired to his room to sleep. It had been a good day, spent with his newfound family bonding and joking, swapping wild stories about their times before joining the Rebellion.

 

Now- Ezra shot up, and was frantically looking around, trying to figure out where exactly he was. Where was Kanan? Had they come out of hyperspace and docked on a planet along the way? That couldn't be- how did he end up here in what looked like- a _palace_?

 

Ezra moved to get off the bed- which was tall and covered with sheets so silky he nearly slid off and onto the floor.

 

"Kanan? Hello? Sabine!?" He called out into practically nothing. All was quiet. Too quiet- he should be able to hear the world going on outside, at least. But instead there was complete silence. He bolted around the giant room, looking for a way out, and ran up to the intricate, gold-framed windows that lined one wall. He peered out, looking down, and saw an empty courtyard, filled with manicured trees and colorful, exotic flowers.

 

"Hello! Somebody! Anybody! I'm here! Kanan!?" He strained again, voice now hoarse from the effort.

 

He pawed around the edges of the giant windows, trying to find a way to open them, but they were completely solid and offered no way out. They also seemed to glow faint blue with a sort of force field- they must have been electromagnetically sealed by a security system of sorts. Whoever put him here- and now Ezra understood someone _must have_ put him here- wanted to keep him here. For what purpose, Ezra didn't want to think about.

 

There was no other door in this room that Ezra could see- so he backed up a bit and readied himself to deliver one strong force-push to the glass. Something in the back of his mind told him this wouldn't work, but he never was one to listen to those who told him not try. When he violently thrust his arms forward and called on the force to blow the window to bits-

 

the force didn't answer.

 

Instead, something heavy around his neck beeped twice and delivered a sudden shock of electricity to his whole body. Ezra spasmed jerked as the shock ran through his limbs and torso, reaching his pounding heart, which stuttered wildly. He wanted to scream but his body was all but paralyzed by the pain. His fingers and toes involuntarily clenched around nothing and his jaw slammed shut, teeth biting hard into his tongue. When the shock faded and he was left panting and heaving, Ezra tasted blood.

 

After the pain subsided he clumsily wiped his forehead, which was now clammy with sweat. He was completely tired and worn out, and Ezra fell backwards, right to the plushly carpeted floor. He tried to collect himself as panic threatened to well up in his mind. His hands wandered up to his neck, and he felt with shaky fingers what was there. It was a thick, heavy, metal collar, studded with little lights and buttons. He wondered briefly if he could somehow press something there to deactivate it- but didn't exactly feel like trying after what he'd been through.

 

That's when it really set in that he was in trouble.

 

There was a whooshing sound somewhere behind him, and Ezra jolted to turn and look as he stood. A passageway had opened up, the door to the outside was apparently hidden and disguised as a panel in the wall, completely flush with the surface around it. That's why he couldn't find the way out- but he knew now, at least. And it was time to run. He took a few quick strides toward it- but stopped completely in his tracks as a familiar figure appeared in that doorway.

 

It was _Maul_.

 

" _You_!" Ezra roared, the rage already beginning to bubble up in his throat. "What do you _want,_ Maul? Where am I? What did you do to my friends?"

 

"They're safe. For now." Maul purred in that deep, cultured voice. "But what happens to them in the future is completely up to you, apprentice."

 

"I've told you before, I'm _not_ your apprentice, I'll never join you!"

 

"You already have joined me, boy. You're here, safe and sound, in the belly of my empire. And you're going to _stay_ here. For the rest of the foreseeable future."

 

"What are you talking about? Where is _here_?"

 

"My palace on Mandalore, of course." Maul smiled, looking all too satisfied. Ezra visibly jumped at that, face twisting in confusion and anger.

 

"What? What palace? What do you mean _your_ empire?"

 

"The empire I have built. You know of the Shadow Collective, the organization I had lead before my time on Malachor. Well, after you- _rejected_ my offer on Dathomir, I decided to come back and take up the crown once more. We had connections here, connections that run deep through the upper echelons of Mandalorian political society- and it wasn't too much work to contact some people and pull some strings to put me back into power. It did require some convincing, but they eventually saw my way." Maul smiled, predatory and dangerous. Ezra shuddered at that look. "But here I am, now the shadow leader of Mandalore once again. And you, apprentice, are my new pet."

 

Ezra stared, blinking dumbly as his bottom lip quivered. Could it really be? Maul was in power here? No- this was bad. Maul shouldn't be leader of _anything_ , let alone a planet.

 

"You're-" Ezra began, looking for the words that would get him out of this. "You can't! You can't just keep me here! My friends will come looking for me! And when they find me, you're in big trouble!"

 

"They know where you are, apprentice."

 

" _What_!?"

 

"They know where you are, but unfortunately," Maul frowned in mock sympathy, "they have no power to take you from me. You are mine in every way- even legally."

 

"That can't be-"

 

"I have married you."

 

Ezra choked on his breath and all words were lost to him. His mouth gaping, brow knitted, he stepped backwards, shaking his head, mouthing a silent 'no' over and over.

 

"It's true- you are mine. Forever." Maul tilted his head, now gazing at Ezra with something akin to longing. "When you were drugged, you were just conscious and impressionable enough to sign the marriage certificate. You are my- my _spouse_." Maul seemed slightly surprised at his own words as he tried them out in his mouth. "You are also a royal consort, in a way. You will stay here and provide me with company."

 

Tears were stinging Ezra's eyes now, and the hopelessness settled into him like a cold rock heavy in his stomach. Maul's expression softened just slightly.

 

"It's not so horrible, apprentice. You will have a good life- once you become accustomed to it. As the consort to a powerful man, everything you need will be provided for you. You will want for nothing. And if you submit to me, accept me, I will treat you well."

 

Ezra had backed up slowly away from Maul, as far away as he could go, and now the backs of his knees had hit the soft bed. He slumped back into it, and sat there at the edge, arms limp and jaw quivering.

 

When Ezra showed no signs of saying anything to that, Maul spoke up again in a quieter voice,

 

"I will leave you to think on what I've said. I will return after you've settled in." And with that, Maul walked back through the passageway and the door closed behind him, leaving a solid wall that showed no evidence of there ever being an entrance there.

 

* * *

 

* * *

 

 

The day was long and Ezra's throat and eyes burned from all the tears he had shed.

 

He sometimes paced obsessively around the room, looking through drawers in the empty, ornate cabinets, searching for anything useful he could find. He sometimes ran his fingers along the wall, checking for any weak spots he could take advantage of to escape. He sometimes just stared out the window at the courtyard that no one ever walked through, silently hoping someone would appear, see him, and call for help.

 

And sometimes he just laid on the bed and cried.

 

He cried for Kanan and Hera, who saved him, loved him like their own child and raised him after his own parents were long gone. He cried for Zeb, who was like his big brother in many ways, and who taught him how to be a man and fight with honor. He cried for Sabine, the beautiful and passionate soul who helped Ezra discover parts of himself he'd never known before. He even cried for Chopper, and smiled a bit through his tears when he reminisced on all the crazy antics that murderous little droid used to get up to.

 

But the tears fell again when he realized he might never see them again.

 

When Ezra had no more tears to shed, he just laid there and thought bitterly on how easily he had given up. This couldn't be all the fight he had in him, could it? No. He _would_ escape. His friends _would_ come rescue him, somehow. They wouldn't rest until they found him- this Ezra knew. Even if there was no way to escape this room on his own- Ezra could find a way out. There would be opportunities, maybe Maul would slip one day- get too comfortable- and leave some sort of opening for him to make use of. Maybe he could gain Maul's trust and bargain with him to be let out for a short while. Or maybe he could just attack Maul next time he came, or distract him long enough to make it out through that doorway. There was hope- there was _always_ hope.

 

Maybe Maul could never be convinced to let him go- Maul was far too stubborn for that- but Ezra knew he wasn't completely unreasonable. Ezra may hate him now, but Maul was similar to Ezra in many ways. They had been through the same things. Abandonment, loss, hardship. They had even shared a connection once, and for a while Ezra thought he wasn't all that bad.

 

Thinking on the things Ezra had said to Maul last time they'd met on Dathomir, Ezra couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. When Maul had confessed to him that he just wanted a friend- a brother- Ezra responded with scorn and rejection. Ezra was scared at the time- scared for Sabine and Kanan, who were in danger, and didn't really think on his words or the effect they'd have on someone like Maul. Someone who'd never known kindness- someone who had never had friends. Deep down, Ezra knew he shouldn't have been so harsh. He could have helped Maul.

 

Was it too late to do that?

 

* * *

 

 

The light from the windows grew red with the artificial sunset of Mandalore's domed capital. Ezra had worn himself out with the crying and pacing and now laid limply on the soft bed, thinking somberly on his situation.

 

The whooshing sound suddenly cut through Ezra's introspection, but he couldn't find the energy to jump up. With tired limbs, he slowly pushed himself to sitting and looked groggily at Maul, who stared at him as if he wanted to say something.

 

Maul saw Ezra's lidded eyes, puffy and red from bawling all afternoon, and felt his hearts squeeze uncomfortably. Maul was carrying a tray of covered plates and he offered them to Ezra with an awkward nod.

 

"Normally the droid will bring your meals, but since today is your first day here," Maul's soft voice paused momentarily, "I thought it would be a nice gesture to bring it myself." He placed the tray on the low table before the bed and stood there. Ezra just stared and sniffled. Maul looked like he wanted to say more, and he did, but quickly decided now wasn't the time for it. Ezra would need to calm himself and accept his place here before Maul could proceed any further. Trying to get too close prematurely would just mean more struggling and fighting.

 

Maul thought of himself as a patient man, particularly now in his older years. He could wait, especially for something as important as Ezra. So he simply turned and left, leaving the boy to get used to his surroundings and his situation.

 

* * *

 

 

Maul sat in his office in the higher levels of the Sundari Palace. He leaned back leisurely in his oversized, bantha leather chair and let his eyes close. He couldn’t help but smile a bit. Things had been going well lately- almost uncharacteristically well by Maul’s standards. He now sat on Mandalore’s throne, had captured the boy, had underlings running around doing his bidding, made some investments here and there and was also working on a less-than-legal distribution project in the Outer Rim, which was turning a nice profit.

 

Profit, of course, was never that important to Maul. Maul had learned long ago that credits was nothing more than a means to an end, and not the end itself. The end was power, and that was its own reward. Money could be used to influence, to corrupt and to claim, but at the moment he simply needed funds to provide himself and his new pet with whatever they wanted or needed.

 

Maul pondered a bit on the things he could get for Ezra. Perhaps some gifts would sway the boy and earn his favor?

 

The room Maul had built for his apprentice was already well equipped with many amenities, though he doubted Ezra was in a state of mind at the moment to have noticed it. There was a bathroom with large showers and a steam room, and the custom-made Kashyyk silverwood cabinets filled with little comforts such as scented oils and soaps and fluffy towels. Maul had appointed an assistant to oversee the project of designing and stocking a suite fit for captivity- and Maul had made sure Ezra would receive only the best, highest quality things. The boy would love it. Or he _should_ love it.

 

Ezra would take some time to get used to being kept, but he would adapt someday. Maul knew well that you could adapt to almost anything. The sentient mind, when suffering long-term anxiety, would eventually come to see its surroundings as normal in an attempt to save itself from becoming damaged by stress. Maul just hoped it would happen sooner rather than later.

 

* * *

 

 

That night, Ezra tossed and turned in the silky sheets on the infuriatingly comfortable bed. _His_ bed. This was his home now- until he could figure out a way to escape. _At least he doesn’t keep me in chains_ , Ezra thought. Though the shock collar dug painfully at his sensitive throat as he lay against his pillow, and that was almost worse than chains. He was _collared_ \- like an animal. Like a _slave._ Ezra mentally noted that the first order of business was figure out how to switch off the collar so he could use the force. Once he had his force powers back, it would be easy to attack and incapacitate Maul.  

He just needed to be patient, something Ezra was never very good at being, and wait for the right opening.

 

* * *

 

When morning came, Ezra woke up to the sound of a droid opening the door and wheeling itself across the carpet. It stopped by the caf table with a tray and greeted him in a mechanical but polite voice.

 

“Good morning, Young Master. I am called D-10 and I am your personal service droid. Lord Maul has sent me to deliver your breakfast. It is currently 6:31 Coruscant Standard Time. You will eat a nutritious meal of arrowgrain porridge with cured meats and a side of cream tea. I have also brought a datapad loaded with a copy of The Sundari Herald for you to read. I will place them here and return when you have eaten. Goodbye, Young Master-”

 

As Ezra listened to the droid speak, he heard only opportunity. He jumped out of bed and tried to approach the short droid at the table- but it cautiously wheeled itself farther away with every step Ezra took towards it.

 

“Wait- hey, uh, Dee-Ten, can you stay with me while I eat? I could use the company.”

 

“I have been ordered to not stay with you for extended periods of time. If you require service you may use the call button on your collar.”

 

“Well it wouldn’t be an _extended_ amount of time- just a normal amount of time. Come on, it'll be fine, just stay and talk with me.”  
  
”I apologize Young Master, but it is impossible. Goodbye.” The droid turned and started rolling away faster. Ezra fingered the collar at his throat, looking for the service button. He hoped he’d found the right one, and not the one that would deliver a painful electric shock to his body. He pressed it. The droid beeped.

 

“You require my service, Young Master?”

 

“Yeah, uh- I think the bathroom needs cleaning. Sorry.” 

  
  
”The bathroom was cleaned 21.5 hours ago, Young Master. It is not due for another cleaning until tomorrow afternoon. Goodbye.” Ezra took a few steps toward the droid and pressed the button again. The droid beeped.

  
“You require my service, Young Master?”

 

“Um, the bed needs to be made.”

 

“I am on a strict schedule to tidy the bedsheets at 10:30 Courscant Standard Time every day. That is not for another two hours and fifty minutes.”

 

Ezra took one more step towards the droid as it started to turn to leave. Ezra pressed the button again.

 

“You require my service, Young Master?” One more step towards the droid, and again, the button.

 

“You require my service, Young Master?” Another step. The button.

 

“You require my ser-” The button. “You require my-” Now Ezra was just spamming the button over and over. “You require my- you require- You requi-”

 

Ezra kept abusing the service button as he approached the droid. He held one finger pressed to it as the droid stuttered its greeting over and over until it was hardly getting a single syllable out before resetting.

 

He quickly jumped around to the back of the droid and easily found a covered maintenance hatch. He braced one leg against the droid as he slipped his fingers under the compartment cover and pulled as hard as he could with one arm. The screws gave way with some effort, popped free and flew across the room. The droid’s inner wiring and circuits were now exposed to the world.

 

Ezra wasn’t a droid expert by any means, but he wouldn’t let that stop him from trying to figure out a way to use this droid to escape. It must be good for _something_ , he just needed to _think._ He stared at the chips inside the droid and kept one finger pressed to the call button on his neck’s collar. Ezra wasn’t sure how much time he had before Maul figured out the droid hadn’t returned, but he knew he needed to get creative fast.

 

He looked at the place on the wall which hid the doorway out. If the droid is coming and going from the room all day, it must be able to unlock the entrance on its own- so something inside this droid has to be the key to opening it.

 

Not knowing exactly what he was doing, Ezra pulled on wires and flipped switches frantically. The droid beeped and whirred and flailed its mechanical limbs, completely spazzing out.  

 

Ezra glanced panicked back at the wall. Nothing. He pulled wires, crossed them, grabbed parts and pulled out chips- he looked at the wall again- _nothing._

 

Ezra looked in the very deepest parts of the droid, behind the motherboard, and saw one lone switch sitting between thick strands of rubber wires. That must be it. He flipped it, praying for something to happen- and suddenly-

 

_the door opened_

 

 Ezra’s heart soared. He ran as fast as he could across the room, sprinting swifter than he ever knew possible.  

 

And once he was just at the doorway- he ran straight into _Maul._

 

Ezra slammed, full-body, into the man and gasped raggedly. Ezra froze, stomach lurching with dread, and Maul placed his hands calmly on the boy’s shoulders with an amused smile. Ezra recoiled violently at his touch and stepped back. _No_ , Ezra thought. _It couldn’t be_. Not when he was _so close_ to freedom. Maul had stepped into the room and the door slid shut behind him, and Ezra watched in horror as the way to freedom disappeared into the wall once more.

 

The whirring of the droid behind Ezra was the only sound for a moment. Something inside of it clanked and it seemed to reset itself, uttering a final “You require my service, Young Master?” before it shut down for good. Maul stood before Ezra, looking surprisingly not-angry.

 

“ _Oh,_ apprentice.” Maul chuckled darkly, “I must applaud your creativity. And I thank you for bringing the droid’s programming error to my attention. I was a little worried when I heard the alarm go off so many times, but I see you were simply formulating an escape plan, and quite a clever one. It wouldn’t have worked, though.”  

 

“I- I-” Ezra stuttered, still not daring to believe he had failed. He didn’t open the door after all. The call button had just notified Maul, who came to investigate the cause for the alerts.

 

“The droid _is_ able to open the door, however you won’t access that capability by clumsily rooting around in its hardware. Perhaps in the future I will teach you how to properly hack a droid and make use of its functions.”

 

Ezra visibly slumped. He fought the urge to cry again, and he consoled himself by forcing his brain to remember that there would be other opportunities for escape. He just needed to bide his time. Though maybe gaining Maul’s trust would hurry the process along- and make an opening for him to take advantage of. And with that, Ezra got another idea in his head.

 

“I’m sorry.” Ezra said somberly. Making use of his visible distress at his own failure, he tried to manipulate the situation to make it seem like he was regretful at his disobedience. Hopefully Maul would buy it.

 

“ _Are_ you, apprentice? I think not. I fully expect there to be an adjustment period while you settle in, and some struggle is acceptable until you come to terms with your place here. What I do _not_ accept is you trying to manipulate me. It’s dishonest. And I will _not_ have my own wife being dishonest with me.”  

 

Ezra jumped and then looked incredulously at Maul, sadness quickly being replaced with anger.

 

“Did you just call me-!?”

 

“My wife? Of course. I am the dominant partner in this marriage, and you the submissive one- therefore you are my-”

 

“Do _not_ call me your w- your _wife_!”

 

“You will come to accept it eventually. Until then you would do well to remember to speak to me with respect. I can handle your little antics with the droid, but disrespect will earn you punishment. And there are so many ways I could punish you," Maul trailed off as he looked Ezra up and down. "Try not to make things harder for yourself. You've been through much already as of late. I will leave you to your breakfast, which is getting cold as we speak.”

 

Maul turned to leave, but Ezra wasn’t having it. He could feel himself ready to snap. Jaws clenched, eyes boring into the back of Maul’s head, feeling the hatred welling up in his chest, saturating his very bones, his soul. A hatred so pure it would have called upon the dark side had he still had his use of the force.

 

Ezra felt the hate rise up in his throat and he couldn’t contain the snarl that escaped from his clenched teeth, a wild and vicious sound, as he thought on the situation that Maul had put Ezra in. That Ezra had been _forced_ into. The unfairness of it all. The _injustice_. The humiliation and the pain of loss. Maul stopped in his tracks, still facing away from Ezra, and knowingly waited.

 

It didn’t take long for Ezra to unhinge completely and lunge in Maul’s direction.

 

Ezra was all limbs and fists as he hit and clawed at any part of Maul he could reach. He forgot all form and technique and was a force of pure animosity, scratching and kicking in a blinding rage. His blood buzzed with the desire to kill.

 

But the Zabrak had other ideas; and it was clear that Maul wasn’t playing games anymore. He was calm as ever, and swiftly grabbed one of Ezra’s flailing arms with an iron grip, spun the boy around and wrenched that arm upwards with breaking force. Ezra fell to his knees as his shoulder audibly popped and he screamed. He screamed from the pain and screamed from the humiliation. Maul could incapacitate him in only a few seconds- without even using the force, without even breaking a sweat.

 

Maul held onto the thin arm like a vice. He kept the pressure on the broken joint until Ezra was wailing from the pain. He let his grip lessen when the rest of Ezra’s body went limp and the boy started sobbing pathetically.

 

“Are you going to be good now?” Maul said dangerously, like a warning. When Ezra didn’t answer he lifted the arm slightly, threatening to aggravate the dislocated shoulder.

 

“Y-yes! I’ll be good!” Ezra bawled, the pain too great to care much about dignity anymore.

 

“I’m going to let go, and you’re going to go sit and think about what might happen if you try that again. I’d call someone to help you with your shoulder- but it’s a pity,” Maul crooned artificially, “the doctors aren’t available until tomorrow.” Ezra sobbed helplessly and Maul let the arm free to fall limply by Ezra’s side. As Maul turned and made his way to the door, he added,

 

“The pain will serve as a reminder of the lesson you’ve learned today.” 

 

* * *

 

 

As Maul leisurely strolled through the corridors of the palace’s upper levels, thinking on the day, he couldn’t help but feel a slight edge of regret about hurting Ezra. He didn’t want it to come to that- but when Ezra had attacked him, Maul felt hurt and insulted, and more than anything else, he felt betrayed.

 

Ezra truly didn’t know how good he had it. Why was he so intent on leaving? He had a comfortable place to live- probably more comfortable than anything he’d ever known before, he had hot meals and creature comforts any time he wanted- and he had the attentions of a powerful man. There are those who would kill to be in Ezra’s position. And yet the boy continues to reject everything given to him.

 

Maul walked back to his own personal quarters, which were smaller and more modest than Ezra’s lavish accommodations. Maul was never one for opulence, he could appreciate it as he appreciated a finely-crafted object, or a perfectly balanced blade, but he never craved comfort or beauty. That had been trained out of him by an early age.

 

He laid in his own bed and considered for a moment how Ezra was feeling. It must be painful for the boy to try and sleep with his shoulder like that- __perhaps__ , Maul thought, _I should offer him an analgesic, or go set his shoulder now so it heals before tomorrow is out._ Maul even moved to sit up and call a droid to send a painkiller, but he quickly settled back down. He couldn’t be seen as giving in, at least not yet. Also, the punishment was perfectly appropriate for the crime, Maul reasoned silently. Ezra had intended to maim him, and might have done some damage if Maul hadn’t defended himself. It was justified.

 

 _Look at you,_ Maul mused to himself, _it’s hardly been two days and you’re already going soft. Leave the boy to think on his actions. It won’t kill him to have a sore shoulder for a day._ Satisfied with his conclusion, Maul slept, thinking on Ezra one last time before succumbing to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Morning came.

 

The night had been long and Ezra’s face was practically swollen from how much he’d cried before eventually passing out. Crying himself to sleep seemed to be a nightly thing, Ezra bitterly realized. It had only been just more than two days and he was already feeling tired down to his bones. Emotionally tired. His very soul was so exhausted he almost considered giving up. But then he remembered Kanan and Hera and all his friends- out there somewhere, trying to find a way to rescue him. Could it be true, Ezra wondered, was Maul telling the truth when he said his friends knew where Ezra was? So why had they not been able to send someone to get him- who cares about a stupid piece of paper that says he’s married, that doesn’t make it legal to keep someone against their will, even a spouse. Ezra decided Maul must have lied to him about that.

 

Ezra glanced at the chrono on the bedside table, it was already 8:15 and the droid hadn’t woken him up. Ezra hoped a bit that he had broken it permanently. But when the boy sat up and looked across the room, he saw there was already a tray of food waiting for him on the table. It must have been put there as he slept, or maybe Maul himself had even come to deliver it. Ezra shuddered at the idea of Maul standing there, watching him as he slept.

 

Ezra hadn’t been eating lately, he’d simply been leaving the food where it was placed and letting the droid take the untouched meals away. He hadn’t really felt hunger ever since he’d been here, probably loss of appetite from too much stress. But this morning was different- he suddenly felt like eating again. He needed his strength anyways if he wanted his shoulder to heal- and he also needed to work up the energy to escape. So he cautiously sat down at the table and uncovered the plates of food.

 

The plates were full of meats and breads and small dishes of pickled vegetables. There was even a cup of creamy tea, now cold by now, accompanying the meal. Ezra had to admit to himself, it looked and smelled good.

 

As soon as he took a bite, it was like the floodgates had opened. A wave of hunger suddenly crashed through his body and his mouth watered at the taste of the salty, fragrant  cured meat. He was then practically binging on the meal, shoving each large bite of food into his mouth and washing it down with the sweet tea. When he was done, Ezra felt something close to _good_ for the first time in days. It was even easy to ignore the pain in his shoulder with a full belly.

 

Ezra sat back in the chair and took a moment to enjoy himself. That wasn’t wrong, was it? No- of course not. He _had_ to take these little moments for himself to stay sane here, Ezra decided. It wouldn’t mess up his escape plans to just relax every once in a while.

 

Having nothing else to do, Ezra walked over to the windows and let himself just stare out. The courtyard, empty as it had ever been, stretched out below. Ezra had never been a flower person, but he found himself wondering what kind of things bloomed there- between the perfectly trimmed trees and the vines and bushes that all swayed gently in the breeze. Ezra wondered if maybe Maul could be convinced to let him visit it.

 

As he looked out the window, he felt a heavy warmth settling in his ribcage. It was fuzzy and clean and calming, and Ezra just felt nice for a moment. Almost too nice. It was when Ezra turned his head he realized something was wrong, as he flickered his eyes around the room, he noticed the edges of his vision blurred and duplicated, until there were trailing images of the room following the motion of his gaze.

 

And yet, he just couldn’t bring himself to feel alarmed about it.

 

In fact, he just felt calm- about everything. Even about being here. It wasn’t so bad in this moment, he had a warm bed and delicious food to eat- maybe he could get used to it, at least for a little while. Ezra lazily stumbled back to the bed, face lax and heavy, limbs becoming dumb and useless, fingers numbing more and more with the minutes. He lay there with his face pressed into the down pillow, and felt so appreciative for the soft, clean smelling fabric under his nose. The boy smiled sloppily. It felt like home.  
  
Ezra was too far gone to noticed Maul walking in.

 

From Ezra’s perspective, Maul had just suddenly appeared by the bedside. He watched Maul in a detached way as the man slowly lowered to sit on the edge of the bed and gazed down, almost kindly, into Ezra’s lidded eyes. Ezra couldn’t work up the energy to be scared or distressed, he just felt too numb, too calm.

 

“I see you’ve eaten, apprentice. How was it?” Maul crooned, far more gently than he’d said anything in the past few days. Ezra felt the overwhelming desire to answer Maul.

 

“S’good. Taste good.”

 

“Are you feeling well?” 

 

“Yeah. I like it.” 

 

“Are you relaxed, little one?” Ezra smiled involuntarily at the pet name, as if someone else were in Ezra’s body right now, controlling his thoughts and movements.

 

“Yeah. Feel relax.” Ezra replied, barely noticing own voice sounding almost infantile.

 

“That’s good,” Maul moved a hand slowly to Ezra’s back and let it rest there with a feather-light touch. “You’re such a good boy now, Ezra. I’d keep you like this all the time if I didn’t appreciate your enthusiasm and passion so much.” Ezra had stopped comprehending sentences longer than four words and just smiled pleasantly with half-closed eyes.  

 

“Mmhm” Ezra managed. Maul chuckled and the hand pressed to Ezra’s back started moving in small circles. It felt so soothing Ezra practically melted into the bed.

 

 

“I would like nothing more than to stay with you like this all afternoon, apprentice,” Maul gently spoke. Ezra could feel Maul’s deep voice rumbling and reverberating through the hand on his back, right through his ribs and into his chest. It felt as if Maul’s voice was inside him. “But I’m afraid I’ve got to set your shoulder before the drugs wear off. Can you turn over for me?” Ezra only sighed in pleasure again and seemed not to even hear Maul’s words.   

 

Maul put one strong arm under Ezra and carefully manipulated his body to turn over on his back. The boy was almost like a doll this way, a heart-warmingly submissive little pet.

 

Maul stood at the bedside, leaning over Ezra, and carefully palpitated the joint that connected his arm and shoulder. Ezra groaned at the tenderness of his injury, the pain being great enough to reach through the haze of his half-conscious mind. Maul firmly grasped Ezra’s shoulder at the collarbone with one hand, and with the other hand wrapped solidly around the boy’s upper arm, skillfully moved the bone’s joint to line up with the socket. Without warning, Maul pushed _hard_ on the arm and there was a muffled popping noise.   

 

Ezra moaned loudly in pain, mouth gaping and eyes closed, and Maul gently caressed his thumb over Ezra’s arm until the boy’s moaning turned to quiet whimpers.

 

“It’s not so bad, little one, it would have been worse had you not eaten this morning.” Maul smoothed a hand over the hair at Ezra’s forehead and gazed warmly at the boy, taking one last moment to relish the sight of Ezra’s submission and dreamy pacificity. “Sleep. You need a good rest.” Maul muttered. He stepped away, still looking at Ezra, not being able to bear taking his eyes off the perfect boy. _His_ perfect boy. After a few long moments, Maul eventually turned from him and walked out, leaving Ezra to have the most peaceful sleep he’d had in days.

 

* * *

 

* * *

 

 

But as they say, peace is a lie.

 

When Ezra woke he felt groggy and slow, and his mind was still fuzzy with whatever drug he’d unknowingly consumed that morning. As soon as he regained his senses and remembered what transpired earlier in the day, Ezra felt a wash of cold, bitter shame coursing through body. A shame so utter and absolute it was almost tangible. He could _taste_ the shame in his mouth. He could _feel_ it pricking at his skin.

 

 He felt humiliated- he felt _violated_. He had let his guard down to eat a single meal and he’d been drugged. _That’s so low,_ Ezra thought, _even for Maul_. And what’s worse- he was made to be submissive to the man, made to _enjoy_ Maul’s touch. Was talked down to as if he were a child. Was treated like a domesticated little pet. Ezra’s face burned with the embarrassment.

 

And at that very moment, as if the force itself had seen into his worse nightmares and conspired to make them true, the last person in the galaxy he ever wanted to see walked into the room. Maul was carrying a brand new meal tray and looking at the boy ever so smugly. Ezra practically growled.

 

“You really _are_ insane if you think I’m going to eat that food again!” He shouted over to the man.

 

“Oh, but apprentice,” Maul said, too amused, “you were enjoying yourself so much this morning.” _And I as well,_ Maul added under his breath.

 

“I guess I’ll just have to starve to death, then.” Ezra pouted, drawing his knees to his chest and turning away from the Zabrak.

 

“I’m merely joking with you, little one, you have my word that this meal does not contain any suspect ingredients.”

 

“And _don’t_ call me _little one!_ I’m not a child.”

 

“Very well,” Maul conceded thoughtfully. “Come over here and have some dinner then, _wife_.”

 

Ezra seethed. Maul only chuckled. There was no winning with Maul, so in that moment Ezra decided just to ignore him. Ezra snapped his mouth shut and purposefully averted his gaze. A long minute passed with Ezra pretending Maul wasn’t there, and the boy mentally blocked out all of the Zabrak’s attempts to get his attention. This seemed to affect Maul more than any snarky quip or insult ever could.

 

“ _Ezra Bridger._ ” Maul finally commanded, voice now deadly serious.

 

 _He must really be pissed,_ Ezra thought, _if he’s resorted to using full names._ It reminded Ezra of the way his mother used to address him when a punishment was imminent, but the boy simply steeled himself and stubbornly receded into his own mind. He braced for the explosion.

 

But it never came.

 

Maul simply nodded with finality, bitterly looking as if he had just made an executive decision in his mind. Somehow, to Ezra, that was scarier than erupting in rage.

 

Maul, after placing the tray calmly on the table, turned and left without a word.

 

Ezra sat still on the bed for a few long, quiet, minutes, wondering what Maul had planned for him. Maybe a punishment- or maybe nothing at all. It didn’t matter much anymore, he was completely at Maul’s mercy anyways. Ezra was powerless to stop anything, he finally realized. If he was going to be here for the long haul, he would refuse to play along with Maul’s games, would refuse to be submissive to that man. Would refuse to be _friendly_ to the person who had kept him captive and done force knows what to his friends. Ezra wanted Maul to know that you couldn’t just capture people, keep them against their will, and expect them to worship you. The very idea was sick. Ezra wondered if Maul was oblivious to how horrible this was, or if he knew and just didn’t care. Both options were equally disturbing.

 

Ezra got up and slowly circled the table with the food, trying to decide if he should risk eating it or just leave it untouched. The last thing Ezra wanted was to become like _that_ again, like a passive, compliant little child, sighing and mewling at Maul’s very touch. He shuddered at the memory. Maul could have done anything to him like that- and Ezra probably would have gone along with it. The thought was horrifying.

 

But Ezra _was_ very hungry.

 

Maybe there’s a middle option, Ezra decided. He’d eat one small nibble of each item on the tray and wait a few minutes to see if it felt like it were drugged. Yeah- that could work. Ezra reached for the small bowl of clear soup on the tray and searched for a spoon. _No utensils,_ Ezra noted. _Of course he wouldn’t give me anything that could be used as a weapon._ So the boy simply sipped from the lip of the bowl and took small bites of everything else along with it.

 

More than half an hour later, Ezra still felt nothing. He almost couldn’t believe that Maul had been good to his word. It seemed honesty was very important to Maul, he’d said before he doesn’t tolerate lying. Maybe there was some honor to the man after all. Ezra sighed with relief and sat down to hungrily dig in to the rest of his meal. After he finished, he slowly walked around the room, thinking and pacing, occasionally stopping to look out the window again and again.

 

The worst part of captivity, Ezra thought, was the humiliation. The second worst part was the boredom.

 

* * *

 

 

The day came and went with no sign of Maul. And the days were _very_ slow. Ezra was so bored he resorted to rifling through the cabinets, looking with interest at every bottle of soap and oil in there, even reading the labels of each product as he sat on the toilet.

 

He turned on the steam in the small sauna and sat in the stifling heat, silently thinking, until his skin was pruned and practically as red as Maul’s. He looked through the drawers and the armoire by the bed, holding up and investigating each article of clothing. When he had been through every cabinet and container in the entire suite, he sat by the window for the hundredth time, looking out at the swaying trees and the flowers that were perpetually in bloom.

 

Another day came and went. Ezra felt himself going stir-crazy and decided to run laps around the room. It had been a long time since he’d exercised and he could swore he was getting soft in the thighs and belly. The droid still came, though Ezra wasn't sure if it was the original one or a new, identical one, and it kept bringing the hearty meals like clockwork. To Ezra’s surprise none of them were drugged. But what bothered Ezra more than anything at the moment- was when the droid came in each day, it absolutely refused to respond to any of Ezra’s comments or questions. It didn’t even acknowledge his presence. Ezra felt like a ghost, and once he even wondered if maybe he was hallucinating his own existence.

 

Another day came and went. The agonizingly slow passage of time left Ezra feeling numb and detached. He hadn’t spoken to another being in days, and now Ezra couldn’t even remember what his own voice sounded like. When the droid came in that morning, he _begged_ it to say something to him. And it just rolled silently away as it had every day for the last five, painful, days.    

 

Another day came and went. Ezra broke down. He couldn’t stand it anymore- stuck in this room, nothing to do, reading the same bottles over and over, wearing the same clothes, not having a single thing to stimulate his mind with. He cried. He sat on the bed, sobbing and wailing like a baby, and cried hard and ugly. He had never felt so alone in his entire life. Never so hopeless. He cried himself to sleep that night, thinking bitterly on the friends that never came for him.

 

The days came and went.

 

Until Maul finally appeared in that doorway.

 

Ezra thought it might be a dream. Was this real? Had the past torturous week been just a nightmare? And why did Ezra feel so gloriously happy to see his worst enemy standing across the room from him?

 

Ezra looked up expectantly, hopeful and sad and ashamed and excited all at the same time. Tears welled up in his eyes and he let them fall. Ezra just didn’t care anymore. He looked at Maul like he was his last hope in the galaxy.

 

Maul walked in and sat down on the bed, looking somber but kind.

 

“Now you know how I feel when I see you.”

 

* * *

 

* * *

 

 

That day, Maul stayed to eat breakfast with Ezra. Ezra thought it was strange, seeing the man eat, an action that was intimate, almost domestic. An action that was very humanizing.

 

Ezra didn’t quite know what to say, so he stayed silent. And even in the silence, just having another sentient being there with him made Ezra feel better- and was a vast improvement over the days and days of isolation he’d suffered through. Maul sensed Ezra wanted to talk, wanted to stretch the vocal cords that had been neglected for so long. And so they talked.

 

“Apprentice, do you enjoy reading books?” Maul genially asked between bites of rare meat.

 

“Oh- like- on the datapad?” Ezra’s mouth felt awkward making the words, but it was so refreshing to just speak to someone other than himself that he didn’t care.

 

“Mm, no, I mean real books. The sort made from paper.” Maul smiled, and it struck Ezra that they were now conversing without quips or insults or vague threats of punishment- almost like friends. Ezra and _Maul_ of all people. It was amazing to Ezra that he craved sentient contact so much he even _enjoyed_ Maul’s presence.

 

“I suppose you young ones don’t read flimsi books these days. Even in my time they were rare and considered outdated. But there are great deal of interesting texts that are only available as paper books- and many things can be learned from them.”

 

“Oh. I guess it’s- uh, it’s interesting.” Ezra immediately winced at his dumb, meaningless reply. Why was it so awkward to have a conversation? Maul would surely not want to talk to Ezra if he couldn’t even converse like a normal person. Then suddenly Ezra was surprised at himself again, surprised at the fact he cared what Maul thought of his company. Almost as if he had been reading the boy’s mind, Maul spoke gently to assure him and addressed the hard topic looming over them.

 

“You’ve been alone for many days now, Ezra. But you have taken your punishment so well, and I’m proud of you. You have learned from your mistake and you now are able to see things from my perspective.” Maul reached across the table, almost as if he wanted to touch Ezra’s free hand with his own. But he stopped short. “It’s normal that you should feel a strange suddenly being in my company again. This is new for you, and we still have a long way to go to improve and develop our relationship. I’m just happy that you’re trying now. You’ve made good progress.”

 

Ezra felt a twinge of shame in his heart, shame at himself for giving in to Maul’s will. But Ezra _desperately_ didn’t want to be isolated again. He didn’t think his mind could take it. He would surely snap next time.

 

“I- I just can’t be alone anymore.” Ezra choked on a sob that suddenly escaped from his tightening throat, “I can’t do it, please-” Ezra bowed his head to hide his humiliation.

 

“You won’t have to, Ezra,” That hand on the table completed its journey and he briefly held Ezra’s in his own. It was an intimate gesture, but not so much to be uncomfortable. “If you continue to make such progress, you will have many rewards. Soon it will be like home to you- better than home. I promise.”

 

“I thought-” Ezra whispered, like he was revealing a shameful secret, “I thought I was going to go _crazy_.” Tears escaped his eyes.

 

“I understand.” Maul said, dark and knowing. “I’ve suffered the very same experience- only for years instead of days, and in much worse conditions. It can destroy a person.”

 

They both sat in silence at that, the room growing somber with the unspoken trauma of the past. Maul eventually seemed to brush the thoughts from his mind and he finally perked back up, then continued to eat his food.

 

“As for the promised reward-” Maul began, in a better mood, “I have arranged to have the shelves in your suite stocked with books. It will give you something stimulating and constructive to do in my absence.” Ezra smiled a bit but then visibly shrunk at the word ‘absence.’

 

“As long as you maintain your current temperament, I will be visiting you every day. And if all goes well, you’ll have more and more rewards and freedoms.” Maul smiled and set down his eating utensils on the now empty plate, which was slick and bloody from freshly cut meat. Ezra had been forced to eat with his hands, even now in Maul’s presence, but he didn’t care. The promise of rewards and privileges lightened his heart.

 

“I’ll have them delivered this afternoon.” Maul moved to stand. “And since you’ve only just come out of isolation, I’ll be back again tonight to give you company. Unfortunately I have many obligations at the moment that I need to attend to.” Maul gave Ezra a bittersweet look, “Be good while I’m gone.” Maul turned for the door with gentle half-smile and left Ezra sitting in front of the dirty plates at the table.

 

Alone again.

 

Ezra merely sat and stared into nothing after Maul left. Some part of Ezra felt recharged in a way after having someone to talk to for a bit- but another part of himself felt just as empty as before. At least this afternoon he could start reading a few books- that would do well as a pleasant distraction until...

 

A sharp glinting next to Maul's plate on the table suddenly caught Ezra's eye.

 

_The steak knife._

 

 


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All art was made by my good friend and co-author ConscientiousMonster at http://conscientiousmonster.tumblr.com/

Ezra merely sat and stared into nothing after Maul left. Some part of Ezra felt recharged in a way after having someone to talk to for a bit- but another part of himself felt just as empty as before. At least this afternoon he could start reading a few books- that would do well as a pleasant distraction until... until...

 

_The steak knife._

 

The light from the window caught on the thin shaft of the finely serrated knife, and it glinted with dark promise. Ezra stared, forgetting to breathe, at the knife laying propped up against the spent plate Maul had eaten from.

 

It couldn't be, could it? Was Ezra hallucinating? Or had Maul really let his guard down so soon?

 

Ezra reached his arm towards the knife- slowly and carefully, as if it were a venomous animal poised to strike. When Ezra wrapped his fingers around the thick handle, his breath let out with a gasp, blood pounding in his ears. He almost didn't dare believe it was real, and not just a product of his isolation-warped, damaged mind.

 

He sat there, holding the knife by its handle, hand shaking and eyes not leaving the wet blade.

 

Now what?

 

There was the sound of clanking and rattling in the wall over by the door as the gears inside shifted and turned. The door was opening- Ezra panicked, jumping up and frantically looking around, looking for a place to stash the contraband. His eyes landed on his bed- and he ran over and shoved the knife hard in between the thick mattresses.

 

Knife safely hidden away, Ezra jumped on top of the bed, sat near the pillows, and tried his best to look normal while still twitching from the adrenaline. He put his shaking hands in his lap and clasped them together. Hopefully it wasn't Maul again- he would surely know something wasn't right. Ezra silently prayed to the force to give him one tiny bit of help- one little bit of reprieve from all the horrors he'd known since coming here.

 

And for the first time since being captured and held here, the force smiled upon him.

 

It was just the droid, rolling in with a mechanical greeting and going to pick up the dirty dishes.

 

 _Please don't notice the knife gone, please don't notice the knife gone, please don't notice the knife gone_ , Ezra chanted in his mind, as if it would make a difference.

 

"How are you this morning, Young Master?" D-10 asked cheerily "You seem a bit worked up. Are you well?" The droid picked up the tray, but fortunately kept his photo-receptors trained squarely on the shaking Ezra.

 

"I'm good! I'm just- really excited for this afternoon." Ezra blurted out, trying desperately to calm his nerves and be casual. "Maul's bringing books later!" Ezra laughed nervously.

 

"Oh, how wonderful! I am happy for you, Young Master." The ever-polite D-10 replied. "Have a good day." It said before rolling away with the plates and cups.

 

After the droid left, Ezra jumped up from his position on the bed. He crouched down and reached hastily in between the mattresses, and recoiled with a sharp gasp as the edge of the knife bit into his clumsy hand. _Ow,_ Ezra angrily thought, as he looked down at the cut on his finger. _I need to be calm. Everything's gonna be fine, just have to act natural and figure out what to do with this_ , Ezra sucked on the small nick as it began to bloom droplets of blood, and reached in with his good hand to retrieve the knife- by the handle this time.

 

Ezra retreated into the bathroom with the blade, the only place away from the entrance's line of sight. If anyone came in, he'd have a minute or two to stash the knife.

 

Ezra sat on the toilet, turning the steak knife over in his hands, studying the curves and edges with a furrowed brow.

 

 _Do I really want to attack Maul with this?_ Ezra asked himself. _If I fail he'll just put me in isolation again- or maybe he'll think up something even worse._

 

Ezra shook his head. Maul had just started to be good to Ezra, did the boy really want to mess everything up now? But... Ezra's eyes traveled from the glinting edge down to the pristine, tanned skin of his forearm. _There is another option_ , he thought darkly.

 

Ezra jumped up from the toilet seat, and paced around angrily in the tiled bathroom. _No. It's not an option!_ Ezra shook his head and slammed the knife down the bathroom counter, and stepped far away from it, as if just holding the knife was poisoning his thoughts with dark ideas.

 

Maybe there was a better way- Ezra thought. The knife could be used as a tool- maybe he didn't have to resort to violence to get out- he could use the knife to pry open the windows, or maybe chisel a hole in the wall that would expose the door's wiring, or he could even use it to open the battery compartment in his shock collar- there were many possibilities- why did Ezra's mind immediately resort to bloodshed?

 

Ezra sighed, ragged and tired, and put the knife in the way back of one of the drawers in the cabinet. He folded some small towels and put that over the knife to hide it further. Ezra didn't feel like he was in the right state of mind to be planning these things, his mind was still recovering from the days of isolation he'd been put through. Ezra decided he needed to calm and gather himself before making a move. He had all the time in the world, after all. Ezra walked out of the bathroom with a final glance at the drawer, and went to lie on the bed to rest.

 

* * *

 

 

"Lord Maul, I've brought the meal tray from Young Master's room, as you've requested," D-10 announced as soon as he entered Maul's office.

 

"Place it on the desk," Maul commanded as he rose from his seat. Maul walked around the desk to the where the tray sat, and studied it closely. After a moment he scoffed bitterly, shaking his head in disappointment.

 

"Is something wrong, Lord Maul?" The droid questioned with what sounded like nervousness in its mechanical voice.

 

"Yes. It seems Ezra has failed my test." The Zabrak replied, the edge of his voice growing dark. "It's unfortunate. I was so pleased with how well he's progressed lately. But it's now apparent he has learned _nothing_." Maul scowled at the tray, the absence of the knife he'd left to test Ezra weighing heavy on his hearts.

 

"What is to be done, Lord Maul?" D-10 asked quietly.

 

"Everything is to proceed as usual. I want to see what he has planned. Perhaps I'll even allow the boy a chance to redeem himself. If he comes clean with me, I'll pass this transgression off as a foolish mistake on his part. If not- then..." Maul's voice trailed off. He wasn't even sure how he should punish this failure. Part of Maul was so sure Ezra wouldn't have taken the knife. He hadn't planned for Ezra's cruel betrayal.

 

* * *

 

 

The evening came and Maul readied himself for visiting Ezra over dinner. Maul had decided to wear stab-proof armor under his black tunic, over his hearts, in case Ezra planned on attacking him. Some part of Maul didn't think the boy could do it- desperately didn't _want_ the boy to be capable of it. He was tired of punishing Ezra. He just wanted them both to continue with their life, together as mates, and not have to worry about constant testing and betrayal and punishments. Maul got enough of that in his daily life as the leader of Mandalore- dealing with political rivals and the occasional assassination attempt. More than anything right now, Maul wanted to come home to his mate every night, have a pleasant conversation over a meal and feel like he was _home_.

 

As Maul slipped the rigid armored plates on over his underclothes, he bitterly wondered if he would ever reach that point with the boy. He wondered if perhaps he would be doing this forever, fighting Ezra every step of the way as he childishly struggled and plotted against him.

 

Maul thought on a conversation he'd had with his general Gar Saxon a few weeks ago before dismissing him on leave; Saxon was musing on the feast his wife had prepared for his return back to Concordia, and how excited she was for him to be home once again.

 

Maul wondered if he would ever have that kind of life. The kind of life other people took for granted.

 

Maul walked into Ezra's suite just behind the droid, which rolled in with a large tray of food. Ezra sat in a reclining chair, a closed book placed in his lap, and seemed to be worse for wear. He'd been sweating and shaking and seemed to be having some sort of internal conflict as he thumbed over the spine of the thick tome. _Good_ , Maul thought. _At least he's conflicted about it._

 

"Have you been enjoying your books, apprentice?" Maul greeted as he sat at the table. The droid began to place cups and plates before him, and made two place settings up with napkins and utensils.

 

"Yeah, they're really good." Ezra said, a bit distantly, as if his mind was still on something else. "I was reading this one, it's about the ancient Sith. I never knew there used to be entire armies of Sith warriors- in the Old Republic days." Ezra walked over to the table and lowered himself into the seat.

 

"I have many books on the Sith in my collection," Maul began, somewhat shocked. "But I'm surprised you didn't start with reading something about the Jedi."

 

"Well, I thought if I learned about the Sith- I could start to understand you better." Ezra said sheepishly. Now _that_ was surprising to Maul. The boy was attempting to understand him? In that moment, Maul almost forgave Ezra for his betrayal with the knife. Almost.

 

Ezra looked down to the setting in front of him, and tried to hide the cold shock he felt when he saw a fork and a knife, sitting next to his plate on an embroidered cloth napkin. Maul picked up on the boy's emotions.

 

"You've been such a good boy, lately, Ezra," Maul started to speak, with something dangerous and unreadable in his voice, "That I've decided you may now eat with utensils."

 

Ezra's mouth became dry. He tried to swallow. Maul continued,

 

"I know you would never try to hurt me." Maul locked his blazing eyes onto Ezra's. "You wouldn't- for instance- pick up that knife on the table and try to stab with with it, now would you?"

 

Ezra's whole body became cold. With wide eyes, he shook his head at Maul.

 

"You also wouldn't, for instance, try and steal that knife, hide it somewhere, and secretly plot to use it against me." Maul smiled jaggedly, a predatory grin that didn't reach his eyes. "That would be a terrible thing to do, wouldn't it?"

 

Ezra's heart stuttered. Maul knew. He _had_ to know.

 

Ezra was then presented with two choices. Tell Maul- confess, and pray that he went easy on him, or try to hide it.

 

He couldn't hide it, could he? Was Maul just bluffing? Or did he truly know?

 

Ezra made a hard decision. He couldn't risk going back into isolation- not now, not after everything. Ezra choked on the dryness of his throat.

 

"Um, Maul?" he started, looking down at his plate, praying for the words to come easy to him. "I... took. The knife. From last time." Ezra trembled, fists clenching the fabric of his pants. The beginnings of tears stung his nose. "I'm- I'm really sorry. I am, I swear! I didn't really want to do anything- I don't know why I took it, I just- it was a _mistake_ ," Ezra was now crying fully, sniffling and shaking with shame and guilt.

 

The relief Maul felt was so complete and total it washed over his skin and relaxed every muscle in his body. He drew in a breath of air through his nose and closed his eyes at the feeling, drinking in the solace he felt at Ezra's truthful confession.

 

"Thank you, apprentice." He said finally, as Ezra continued to sob and shake at the fear of being punished again, "Give me the knife, and we'll pretend it never happened at all." Ezra got up and shuffled to the bathroom, head still guiltily drooped to the floor. When he returned, he offered the knife, handle-first to Maul, who took it gently from him and gave it over to the waiting droid at his side.

 

"You've done the right thing, Ezra." Maul consoled him.

 

"You're- not going to punish me again, are you?"

 

"No, I'm not. In fact, after dinner I plan on rewarding you." Ezra's uneasy gaze flickered to Maul, and the boy looked into the those amber eyes, trying to figure out what emotion hid behind them.

 

Maul's look was unreadable. Was he relieved? Angry? Maybe- slightly sad?

 

"Eat, for now." Maul reminded him. Ezra took up his utensils and started to pick awkwardly at the meat that was now only slightly warm on his plate. Maul couldn't actually mean to reward him, could he?

 

They ate in silence, and when they were done, Ezra sipped quietly on the warm herbal tea in the delicately decorated cup. He stared towards the window, not knowing what to say.

 

Maul noticed Ezra's gaze, turned towards the gently swaying trees and flowers, and let Ezra look for a few long moments. It would be the last time he looked at the scenery there in quite the same way.

 

Maul spoke, voice alarmingly gentle, but with a hard edge behind it.

 

"You like looking out there, at the gardens, don't you?"

 

"Yeah," said Ezra, somber and wistful. "Sometimes I like to think I'm down there, smelling the flowers, feeling the breeze." The boy sat back in his chair, tilting his head mournfully at the scenery. "It almost reminds me of Lothal. There was lots of green on Lothal."

 

"Would you like to see Lothal again, Ezra?" Maul spoke. Ezra turned and looked at the Zabrak in puzzlement, not knowing what this meant. Was Maul mocking him? Or could he actually be offering to take him home? That _couldn't_ be true.

 

"What- what do you mean? Of course I'd want to see it again- are you saying you-"

 

"If you wish to see your home again, I could arrange that." Ezra nearly choked on his tea.

 

The Zabrak's disturbingly calm voice pierced Ezra's heart, and the boy gaped at Maul's suggestion in wonder.

 

" _You would do that for me?_ " Ezra whispered, voice rich with pleasant surprise, chest feeling full to bursting with emotion. Maybe Ezra had been wrong about Maul.

 

"Of course I would," Maul said. He then looked into the boy's blue eyes, savoring the look of gratefulness and endearment one last time. Maul reached into the pocket at his waist and took out a small electronic device. Pointing it towards the window, he pressed a button.

 

The scenery out the window changed as if someone had flipped the channel on a holo-TV.

 

It was now the Lothal grasslands outside the room, stretching out to the horizon, the green hills reflecting the orange light of the sunset.

 

Ezra stared.

 

He stared some more, not even daring to comprehend what had happened. Not wanting to.

 

It was a _screen_. It was a screen all along, not a window.

 

Ezra felt like someone had punched him hard in the gut.

 

He shook. He shook with anger and confusion and the feeling of cold betrayal. He clenched his teeth until his jaw hurt and balled his fists until his knuckles where white and droplets of blood warmed his palms.

 

 _This_ was his reward?!

 

He shouted, a primal sound of pain and fury.

 

" _What is this?!_ " Ezra roared, "How could you do this? Where am I really? Is anything even _real_ here!?"

 

"I initially thought having a window with a view would comfort you." Maul spoke with a distant sterility. "The back-lights in the screen are also UV emitters, to ensure you get an adequate amount of sunlight to prevent Seasonal Affective Disorder and to ensure a proper circadian rhythm."

 

Ezra cried cold tears of rage, shaking and silently baring his teeth at Maul across the table.

 

"But I couldn't risk an escape with actual windows." Maul smiled cruelly, "Also it would be quite impossible to install windows in an _underground room_."

 

Ezra fell out of his chair, to the ground, and pounded his fists into the carpet. He screamed. Everything he knew had been shattered. He'd been looking out that window for days, not realizing it wasn't even _real_. Not ever questioning why it never changed, why the flowers and trees never grew nor withered. Never asking himself why the courtyard was perpetually devoid of people. And now it was the grasslands of Lothal that he'd have to stare at, cruelly torturing him with the reminder of a home he'd never again get to see.

 

He wailed wildly and moaned in the helplessness, feeling suffocated and trapped- in what he now knew was an underground room. The last hope for escape had been violently ripped from his hands. Who knew how many layers of security were beyond the entrance in the corridors outside, who knew how far underground he was. Ezra's face grew hot with the tears and his lungs burned with each frantic gasp of air. He was trapped like an _animal_. In an impenetrable box.

 

When the tiring boy's howls quieted to whimpers, Maul calmly rose from his chair at the table. He crouched down in front of Ezra, who was now sobbing and groaning pathetically on the floor.

 

"This is your reward, my apprentice. Your reward for plotting to betray me. It was only your honesty tonight that saved you from a worse fate."

 

"You're-" Ezra whined hoarsely, "You're _evil._ "

 

"I'm not, Ezra." Maul said gently, and reached to smooth back the boy's hair, which was now sticking to his sweaty forehead, "The sooner you realize that, the better. I'm not doing any of this to hurt you. I only want you to learn, and to grow to appreciate what you have, what _we_ have. I don't want you to always be fighting me. I don't want to do this forever."

 

Maul gazed at Ezra despondently, feeling a sort of pity for the weeping boy. He never did like seeing Ezra cry, it made Maul feel helpless, made him feel like he wanted to do something to make it better. He ran a hand through Ezra's damp hair, and got no resistance from the boy, who sat limply on the ground.

 

"Please learn from this, Ezra. Know that I have the power to shatter your world- and know that I have the power to build it up again. If you would only accept me, you would feel so much better. One day you may even leave this room, but it will never happen if you continue to oppose my will. I want a better life for us, my Ezra, but your actions force me to punish you."

 

Ezra felt numb. A complete and total, all-consuming numbness. He thought on Maul's words, and thought on his actions. A voice in the back of the boy's mind said, _maybe Maul is right_. The only way to make things better was to give in. To submit. _Maybe it would make the pain go away._

 

Ezra realized there was never any getting out of this. Not now, not ever. His friends would never come, he would never be smart or crafty enough to formulate a successful escape plan. He would never _leave_.

 

And even with that painful epiphany materializing in his mind, he couldn't find the energy to cry any more. He was tired. Tired of feeling pain, hopelessness, and tired of being depressed and alone and miserable. Ezra was tired of fighting.

 

So he finally made a decision. He would take the path of least resistance. He only hoped that path would take him somewhere peaceful and warm.

 

Ezra looked with glassy eyes at the crouching Maul, and offered up his trembling arms. Maul was pleasantly surprised for one glorious moment, but quickly hid his shock. He leaned in, and let Ezra wrap his arms around him in their very first embrace.

 

He couldn't prevent the wide smile from forming on his face as he held the small, shaking boy in his arms. He reached his arms around Ezra's shoulders and back and relished the warm mass intimately resting against his chest. He put a hand on the back of Ezra's head and gently guided the boy to press his face in the crook of his neck. It was bliss- warm and close, needy and tender and yielding. Maul smoothed his hands over Ezra's shoulder blades and held for as long as Ezra would let him.

 

Maul felt something like happiness for the first time in a long time. It was a greater victory than reclaiming the Mandalorian throne. It was more rewarding than all the status and riches in Sundari- and it was more comforting than anything he'd ever felt. Maul had never been embraced before, and in that moment he vowed to do it as often as he could.

 

Ezra pressed his face closer into Maul, finally experiencing a feeling close to comfort and contentment. With those strong arms around him, it was easy to ignore the pain- easy to ignore the helplessness. It was as if being against Maul's broad chest was its own little world, and everything outside the embrace was muted and far away. He let himself be held and he let Maul soothe away the hurt with those solid, insistent hands.

 

They mutually parted and some embarrassment came back to Ezra, and Maul spoke to distract him.

 

"Well," Maul began, looking content but slightly confused, as if the hug was the last thing he expected Ezra to do. "I suppose I can change the image on the screen. It would be overly cruel to force you to see that everyday." He turned the device towards the screen again and the image changed back to the empty courtyard Ezra had grown used to.

 

"Thank you." Ezra said sheepishly.

 

Maul pulled Ezra to standing, not letting go of his arms for a moment, silently hoping for another embrace. Maul turned to the droid,

 

"Clear away the plates. And fetch us a holo-projector. Perhaps tonight is a good night for dinner and a movie. I think my boy has earned it." Maul smiled slightly, all the resentment from Ezra's antics long forgotten.

 

"Really?" Ezra piped up, "I get to watch a holo-movie?" Ezra wiped away the tears on his face. Was it really _that_ easy to get rewards?

 

"Yes, apprentice. We'll watch together."

 

"I never imagined you being one for holo-movies." Ezra commented, trying for something like lightheartedness.

 

"I'm not," Maul said, "But I will enjoy any time spent with you. It should put us both in a better mood, as well." Maul guided Ezra to the long, cushioned sofa in the resting area as the droid set up a holo-projector on a nearby table. Maul kicked his metal feet up onto the low footrest, and lounged into the soft seat. Ezra sat awkwardly, a foot or so from Maul. The droid dimmed the room's lights and the holo-projector started playing on low-volume.

 

As the movie played, Ezra couldn't help but feel like he was on a date. A very _strange_ date. Maul sat there, arm extended on the backrest behind them, and Ezra fidgeted awkwardly. It was hard to pay attention to the movie. Ezra felt like he was expected to do or say something, he just didn't know what.

 

Maul, receptive as ever, turned to Ezra with an amused look.

 

"You may rest against me, if you like," he said casually. It sounded like a suggestion, but in reality it was more like a command. Ezra inched closer and Maul smirked almost playfully, "I won't bite, little one," he said.

 

The pet name almost irritated Ezra, but the boy was dead set on not getting any more punishments today, so he moved close, letting his side press flush into Maul, whose arm dropped from the backrest to lay across Ezra's shoulders.

 

Ezra stiffened. This was a different kind of touch from the embraced they'd shared earlier, it was... expectant, somehow. Ezra imagined how they must look, like two lovers on a romantic date, sharing dinner and a movie before... Before... _oh no_.

 

Fear wormed its way into Ezra's mind at all the possibilities. Maul didn't mean to...do _that_ with Ezra, did he? Was this... _foreplay_?

 

Ezra shifted uncomfortably, trying to inconspicuously look to Maul's lap. The prosthetic legs reached up mid-thigh, and Ezra knew from seeing Maul shirtless before that he still has his hips and pelvis. Ezra tried to hide a whimper. Had the hug from earlier given Maul the idea that Ezra wanted to... do stuff? Maul _had_ said they were married, after all. Could it be that Maul's affections towards him were- like that? Ezra hadn't thought of it before. He didn't _want_ to think about it. His stomach suddenly felt like it was going to reject the meal he'd eaten. Ezra hadn't been with anyone like that, let alone a man, let alone someone who had been his sworn enemy up until merely moments ago. Was Ezra's first time going to be with Maul? Force forbid- would Maul _make_ him do it? Or coerce him under the threat of punishment?

 

Ezra started to sweat with worry, worry that seeking comfort in Maul tonight had accidentally invited something he didn't mean to.

 

Maul smiled inwardly at Ezra's sheepishness. Ezra was powerless to block his thoughts from Maul without the use of the force, and so the boy was an open book to him. He let Ezra stew in his anxiety for a few moments, thinking how cute the boy was when he was embarrassed. When Ezra starting shifting and fidgeting anxiously and was no longer even watching the movie, Maul decided it had been enough.

 

"Ezra," Maul spoke gently, consolingly, "We're only watching a movie. There's nothing to be troubled about."

 

"Oh, I wasn't. I was just- the movie's really exciting," Ezra lied. He didn't want to admit he was thinking about him and Maul- doing things.

 

"I'm not going to touch you in any way you don't want, little one." Ezra gulped at that. "You needn't be uneasy."

 

"Oh." Ezra chirped nervously. "O-okay." Maul chuckled then, low voice rumbling in his chest, vibrating against Ezra's side.

 

Ezra settled back in, only slightly comforted by Maul's words. Ezra supposed he was safe for now- though he wasn't quite sure he believed Maul when he said he wouldn't force himself on him- Maul had drugged him before, after all.

 

Ezra reluctantly let himself be relaxed after that, leaning his head on Maul's shoulder, testing out the new feeling. It was different from when he'd hugged or touched Sabine before. When Ezra did that, he felt like the big one, he felt like a _man_. But now, resting against someone much larger and stronger than himself, he felt little. Sabine was soft and small and curved, but Maul was large and solid and imposing and radiated power and control. It was a strange feeling.

 

He didn't want to admit to himself- that he sort of _liked_ it.

 

* * *

 

* * *

 

 

Ezra woke an hour later feeling contented and refreshed. He was leaning against a warm, solid mass to his side. He snuggled into it slightly but then froze- and jumped when he realized what had happened.

 

"Did you sleep well?" Maul's deep voice purred.

 

"Oh- sorry, I-"

 

"No need. I don't want you to ever apologize for taking comfort in me." Maul tightened his grasp on Ezra's shoulder, who was starting to move away in embarrassment, "You also needn't feel ashamed. There's nothing wrong with what we're doing."

 

"I just... I dunno. It feels... weird. To be like this." Ezra averted his gaze from Maul's yellow eyes, the eyes that reflected light so well in the darkened room, almost like a loth-cat. Maul hummed.

 

"You'll become accustomed to it." Maul rubbed Ezra's shoulder. "I'm very pleased that you're starting to trust me. You're doing so well, Ezra." Ezra pulled away fully, starting to stutter a reply.

 

“I-I just, maybe I should go to bed now, I'm still tired." The boy eyed Maul, watching to see if the man would take that as an invitation or as a suggestion to leave.

 

"Very well. Have a good rest, apprentice." Ezra was slightly surprised and relieved to see Maul turning to go. The boy walked over to his bed and settled in, watching as the shadowed figure of the Zabrak disappeared into the closing doorway.

 

* * *

 

Maul was walking on cloud nine all during the night, and well into the next day. Nothing could ruin his good mood. _Almost_ nothing.

 

Someone buzzed at his door to his personal quarters. Only a select few were authorized to be this far into the palace, and so Maul knew it must be one of his assistants or generals. Maul stood, throwing on a tunic and activating the switch that unlocked the door and let his guest in.

 

“Lord Maul,” It was general Kast. “The ambassadors from Delegor will be arriving this afternoon.” The woman stated in a professional voice.

  
  
”Very well. Get a group together to receive them when they arrive. And tell the chefs to prepare a vegetarian meal for the feast.” Maul hated feasts. He hated needing to be polite to lower beings who barely deserved his attention let alone respect. He hated the drinking and the small-talk needed before being able to appropriately broach the topic of the deals that needed to be made. He hated nearly everything about politics, except for the having of power part. For a moment Maul wondered how Sidious was able to do it all.

 

“There’s a few problems with that, Lord Maul.” Kast awkwardly interrupted, looking nervous. “They couldn’t be convinced to come planet-side. They want to meet in a neutral location.” Maul sighed angrily.

 

“Where, then?”

 

“On their flagship docked a parsec outside Concordia.”

  
  
”That’s hardly neutral.”

 

“There’s also a few more cultural things we need to discuss with our foreign relations expert. They have some unique... traditions. Regarding meetings of this type.”   

 

In the foreign policy office, Maul, Kast, and Gar Saxon all sat before the foreign relations expert, who specialized in dealing with many different cultures in business and political situations.

 

“Lord Maul, you’re well aware that we need this deal. The Delegorians have the best and cheapest weapons in the sector, and if we play this right, we’ll be the sole holder of the rights to  buy them. The problem is the Delegorians are known for their traditionalism and strict adherence to their cultural roles.”

 

“Then what must we do?” Maul asked.

 

“I heard they’ve got some interesting ideas about family,” Saxon offered first.

 

“You’re correct, General Saxon," the policy officer stated, “They have rigid cultural rituals surrounding the idea of the nuclear family unit. Families are important to them in business and politics, wives are honored in their culture and must be present with their husbands for signing contracts. To them, those who are not married are not considered adults.”  

 

“Well that’s just great,” Kast huffed. “I suppose I need to get a pretend-husband for the meeting?”

 

“Absolutely. All people present at the meeting should be paired off- if they want their vote to count, that is. We need to present a respectable image to them. They weren’t that enthusiastic about making this deal the last time we spoke with their ambassadors, but it seems they're willing to give us a chance to prove we’re serious. They don’t appear to _need_ the money, their economy is sound, so they’re doing this solely to have another ally in the sector, I suspect.”

 

“Look, I love my wife and all-” Gar Saxon interrupted, “but I can’t believe she’ll have the power to veto my word. Crazy bastards, these Delegorians- women hardly know anything about politics, they shouldn’t get a say in something so important.” The policy officer merely shrugged, while Rook Kast side-eyed Gar with annoyance.

 

“General Kast," the officer began again, "please find someone to play the part of your husband tonight. Someone trustworthy- you must be willing to be intimate with them- or pretend to, at least. As for the rest of you, I suggest you speak to your spouses as soon as possible to prepare them for the meeting. During the feast, each couple must present a united front- a team, so to speak. Do not talk over the other person, and treat them with respect. The Delegorians have a saying in their language- that translates to ‘a man who does not respect his wife is no man at all’ and I hope you all keep that in mind for tonight.”  

 

Maul hummed thoughtfully and began to open his mouth to speak- but the officer seemed to remember about Maul’s unique situation and continued,

 

“Lord Maul. I suggest you bring the Young Master as your spouse tonight- taking a young male for a wife is quite a status symbol in their culture. The Delegorian Ambassador is said to have married a boy around Master Bridger's age as well- and the Ambassador may feel he has some common ground with you if you bring the boy.” The policy officer turned and addressed the whole room again, “The Delegorians are an emotional and very passionate people. Their culture values love and family more than they value money. Whoever you take _must_ be convincingly in love with you. I can’t stress how important this is to them.”   

 

“This is going to be _fun_ ,” Rook sarcastically groaned, “I get to get all smoochy with some guy I’m not involved with. Great.”

 

“As long as my wife doesn’t screw this up for me I’ll be satisfied.” Gar threw in.

 

And Maul was just silent. The beginnings of sweat starting to bead at his forehead for the first time in a while. This would either go fantastically or not at all. He silently prayed Ezra was ready for this. Whatever _this_ was.

 

* * *

 

 

“ _Ezra?_ ” Maul called to the boy as he briskly entered the boy's room. Ezra looked up from his place on the reclining chair, book in hand, looking to Maul in confusion. “I need to talk to you- we don’t have very much time- I’m going to take you somewhere today, alright? And I need you to do me a favor. A very _big_ favor- if you’re a good boy you will have so many rewards-”

 

“W-what is this about?” Ezra said, the puzzlement apparent on his face, “we’re _going_ somewhere? _I’m_ going somewhere!?” Maul walked up to the sitting boy and crouched before him, hands on Ezra’s knees.

 

“I need you to be my guest on a very important ambassadorial mission to meet with some visitors from off-world. You _must_ be on your best behavior.” Maul’s expression became serious as Ezra seemed to comprehend what was going on, “If you run- or make a fool of me, I will punish you. More severely than you can comprehend. More severely than you ever thought possible.”

 

“Why do _I_ need to go?”

 

“In their culture- the off-worlders, marriage is considered sacred- and I need you to be there to approve all new policies with me. You will sign everything I sign. You will agree with everything I say- and you will treat me as if I am everything to you. You _must_ give a convincing performance, Ezra. If you do well, I can make your life so much better than it is now. This, I promise.”

 

Ezra’s eyes widened- he couldn’t stop the thought of escape from entering his mind. Maul glared darkly, sensing his thoughts.

 

“Oh- alright, I guess.” Ezra stuttered.

 

“Now, I need you to come with me- I have a set of ceremonial clothes for you to wear in my office- and we’ll need to take that collar off. Slavery has been illegal for thousands of years on Delegor-” Maul trailed off. Ezra, still looking confused, abandoned the notion of getting Maul to clearly explain everything that was going on. “I’m going to cuff your hands until we get up to my office. Do _not_ try anything, boy.”

 

“I- I won’t, I promise,” Maul glowered at Ezra’s less-than-honest remark.

 

“I do not blame you, you’re still new here, you can’t help but think of escape. In time you will learn. But for now, we must take precautions- and I must protect you from yourself.”

 

Maul cuffed Ezra’s hands with an electronic device that wrapped completely around his fists. It seemed to be similar to the shock collar, and it was certainly no ordinary set of handcuffs. Maul led Ezra from the room roughly by the arm, occasionally turning to throw a threatening glance in Ezra's direction.

 

* * *

 

 

Leaving the room felt like a dream. Ezra craned his head in all directions to look at everything as he exited the room for the first time in nearly two weeks. Once they were out of the door, they walked briskly through a long corridor, devoid of anything but re-inforced metal plates and blinking security systems along the walls. Ezra felt dejected when he saw how well Maul had him kept in there. Who knows how many millions of credits Maul had spent on something so advanced. Yet the thought of being so important to Maul left Ezra feeling both warm and strange. All _this_ was solely for him?

 

Maul inserted a key-card into the electronic box by the door on the far side of the corridor. The heavy door slid open and revealed an elevator. Maul jerked Ezra inside. Whatever what stressing Maul out had made him rough and serious. Ezra realized that this mission he was going on must be very important. They both waited in silence as the elevator took them upwards, for force knows how far.

 

Once the door had opened again, Ezra was pulled into what must be Maul's office. Ezra looked around in child-like fascination as Maul left Ezra in a spot by the elevator door, and the Zabrak went off to rummage through some drawers and boxes.

 

Ezra's eyes caught on a large wooden desk fitted with many data-pads, security systems and large, blue-tinted monitors.

 

The boy took a step closer, glancing back at Maul, who was still busy trying to find something in a large locked drawer. Ezra leaned in and curiously looked at the monitors. One of the screens showed a large, ornate chair centered in the middle of a grand entrance- that must be the security camera for the throne room.

 

Another screen showed a long hall, with several palace guards in ceremonial armor slowly pacing up and down the walkway.

 

And then another screen-

 

Was the image of a large room, opulently decorated, complete with stocked bookshelves, a plush bed on the far wall, and a small dining table.

 

_Ezra's room._

 

Ezra's stomach lurched and he felt like vomiting. Maul had been _watching_ him all this time? Watching him pace obsessively, watching him look out that fake kriffing window for days, watching him cry himself to sleep?

 

Ezra stepped back, not daring to look anymore, as his nauseous stomach threatened to twist and turn. He shook his head, and renewed tears came to his eyes. He had never felt so disgusted- had it been too much to expect Maul to at least give him some privacy? Was it too much to ask for a little human dignity while suffering in this hell? Suddenly the idea of escape came back to Ezra in full. He felt betrayed- he felt like all the growing trust he'd put in Maul lately had dropped right out of him through the hole in his stomach.

 

"You weren't meant to see that," a deep voice came from behind the shaking boy.

 

"How- how could you- just- _why_?" Ezra stammered.

 

"You expect me not to keep an eye on you? Also it's not as if I'm watching all the time. Merely when I'm in my office during the day."

 

"How-" Ezra whispered forlornly, "How can I even believe anything you say anymore?" The searing reds and yellows of Maul's eyes grew dim and sad.

 

"It's for your own safety. After you stole that knife- hid it- I was," Maul fingered the fabric of the clothes he held in his hands, "I was afraid."

 

Ezra suddenly grew angry and incredulous.

 

" _Huh_. The great _Lord Maul_ ," Ezra chuckled scornfully, "scared of being stabbed by a little bitty steak knife."

 

"Not scared for my safety. I was afraid you'd hurt yourself."

 

Ezra swallowed, thinking on Maul's words, the words that had succeeded in washing some of the anger away.

 

"I-" Ezra began, now more tired than anything, "I thought about it."

 

"I know," Maul said, in a surprisingly understanding voice.

 

They stood for a moment, not looking at each other, simply feeling the sadness that permeated the room. It felt suffocating.

 

"But now," Maul spoke, "is not the time for this. I need you to put this on." He held up a folded garment, vibrant greens and blues ornately embroidered with shining gold stitches. He offered it up to Ezra.

 

Ezra took it without a word and held it up by the neckline, letting it unfurl to its full length, almost to the ground. It was a _dress_.

 

Ezra squinted his eyes at Maul. The boy's expression said, _really?_

 

Maul just returned the annoyed glance and tapped one metal foot impatiently. He turned around, letting Ezra dress in privacy.

 

"Just put it on," Maul said, "The Delegorians like to adorn their wives in expensive silks and precious metals- I also have some jewelry for you to wear. Once we take that collar off."

 

Ezra dressed silently and Maul listened to the sounds of zippers and fabric sliding against skin. He kept his mind open to the force, monitoring Ezra's thoughts in case he used the moment to try anything. Maul was pleased when Ezra dutifully slid on the dress and called for him to turn around and look.

 

Maul turned, and drunk in the sight before him. He hadn't imagined Ezra would look _that_ good. The boy's dress fit perfectly, hugging the gentle curves and softened belly that captivity had earned him. It cascaded from his rounded hips down in pleated waves to the floor, and the jewel toned greens and blues beautifully accentuated his tanned skin and dark hair.

 

Maul smiled a half-grin, and made a mental note to replace all the clothes in the boy's suite with similar dresses.

 

Ezra, seeing Maul's satisfaction, just glared. He didn't want to play dress-up, he didn't want to be a doll for someone to decorate and adorn. The boy's usual clothes were comfortable and practical, he had never even liked wearing the doublets Kanan had forced him to put on for meeting with the other Rebel generals. Ezra was _not_ one for fashion.

 

Maul went to the desk to open some small, hinged boxes, and gently retrieved the thick chains of gold and jewels from inside. Ezra stood stiffly as Maul gently placed the long necklace over Ezra's clavicle, fussing over it and its small clasp. There was also a chained head-dress he placed over the boy's hair, and many thick golden bangles he stacked on Ezra's wrists. Ezra felt like kilos had been added to him by the time all the jewelry was in place.

 

"I've got enough metal on me now to pass for a droid," Ezra quipped.

 

"You'll see soon enough, it's nothing compared to the Ambassador's wife. The Delegorians believe having a wife adorned with gold and jewels is a status symbol, and reflects well on their competence and masculinity."

 

"Are you going to keep calling me your wife all afternoon?"

 

"Yes. And I will forgive your petulance and difficulty today if you pretend to like it in front of the off-worlders."

 

"Fine," Ezra sighed, swishing around in his dress experimentally, "so- when we're at the meeting-"

 

"The feast," Maul corrected.

 

"When we're at the feast, do I have to- like... Fawn all over you?"

 

"Yes. You will see how the Delegorians treat their spouses and you will act accordingly. It is important we show them that we are not so different culturally."

 

Ezra grumbled. When Maul had stopped fidgeting with Ezra's jewelry he retreated back to the cabinets and pulled out what was apparently his own outfit. Without a word, Maul started undressing himself, hastily pulling off his own shirt and trousers.

 

"What- what are you _doing_?" Ezra barked, more than slightly panicked.

 

"Undressing."

 

"Couldn't you- like- tell me to turn around first!?"

 

"I don't mind if you see me." When Maul was nearly naked and Ezra blushing practically as red as Maul, the boy finally turned around. He couldn't get that image out of his head fast enough- the flowing black lines snaking up and around a well-muscled torso, broad shoulders and strong, lean arms, and that- the shadowed _lines_ on the sides of Maul's hips that lead down his hard pelvis in a V. Ezra tried to purge the sight from his mind as he blushed and pouted.

 

Maul's amused voice called through Ezra's embarrassment and the boy turned. Maul didn't look half bad himself- Ezra grudgingly thought. The tunic Maul wore was off-white  and wrapped asymmetrically around his chest, layered over a deep burgundy undershirt that was barely peeking through at the neckline. There was a thick, braided belt at his waist, once again layered over thick fabrics of other colors. Ezra thought Maul looked sort of regal.

 

"Now, we haven't much time." Maul finally announced. "We're due in the Delegorian flagship in less than an hour. I'm going to take your collar off- once again, if you dare try anything, you will dearly regret it."

 

"Alright, alright," Ezra said impatiently.

 

"And I need you to adjust your attitude, boy. You will not ruin this deal for me. Remember everything I said, and treat me with honor. I will do the same for you." Ezra nodded reluctantly and Maul approached him to remove the collar.

 

The heavy shock collar weighing at Ezra's neck beeped once and Maul lifted it from the boy, and all of a sudden it felt as if the air around him was now clear and sharp. Ezra hadn't noticed how crippling it had been to be blind to the force- but now he could feel and hear and see, and it was almost like regaining his senses after a long, numbing sleep. Ezra marveled at how much he could sense now, and how much more powerful he felt. He could even sense some of Maul's intentions, and Ezra wondered how he was ever able to go without his powers.

 

Maul, wasting no time, grabbed the boy by the wrist and led him outside. Ezra turned to look as they walked and took in all the sights and sounds in the palace. The armored guards they passed in the halls on the way all lowered their gaze as Maul walked in front of them, and they each muttered a stiff but respectful greeting. Ezra didn't know why, but suddenly seeing all the people in the palace defer to Maul, who apparently held more status and power than Ezra ever imagined, made the boy feel a strange kind of pride growing in his chest. It felt humbling.

 

Ezra barely had time to enjoy the warm, artificial sunshine outside the palace when he was pulled in to a waiting speeder at the entrance. There were two others in the speeder with Maul, and for a moment Ezra considered asking them for help- he considered blurting out that Maul was keeping him here against his will, but the boy doubted it would do any good. Maul was _very_ powerful here, Ezra finally realized. Everyone the boy could see answered solely to Maul. Now Ezra finally believed Maul when he said this was _his_ empire.

 

The speeder ride continued silently until they all were transferred to another, larger ship, and Ezra stayed close by Maul's side as they ascended beyond the stratosphere and into space.

 

* * *

 

 

When they were docked in the off-worlder's flagship, Ezra immediately noticed how every Delegorian man they saw was paired off with a beautifully decorated woman trailing at their side. The women had their arms clasped tightly around their man's elbow and fawned over them as they giggled and nuzzled into their shoulder. Then there was one Delegorian- the one who greeted them in the docking bay- who was older, and seemed very important. He was holding the hand of a young, very pretty boy around Ezra's age. Ezra looked at the boy in shock, and the boy smiled shyly at Ezra as the two approached him and Maul.

 

"Lord Maul!" The older, alien man greeted excitedly as he held up his arms, "I see you've brought the boy we've all heard about! How wonderful. Isn't he precious?" The blue-skinned off-worlder smiled oddly at Ezra, and Ezra did his best to smile back.

 

"Yes, my Ezra here was so very excited to come meet you all. It's good to know there are others in the galaxy that honor marriage and family as much as your people do."

 

"You surprise me, Lord Maul, I thought Mandalorians held little respect for their wives- I've even heard you sometimes take more than one!" The man guffawed at that, as if the very notion was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

 

"Times are changing, Ambassador Cri'Ana, especially under my rule. I've abolished polygamy, as you may have heard. We are a very progressive people now."

 

"Yes, I was pleased to hear you have changed Mandalore for the better," Cri'Ana stroked the hair of his young wife as he spoke, "Well- we're wasting time- the feast is about to start. No one knows revelry as well as my people. I hope you and your boy can keep up!"

 

Ezra sat closely next to Maul at a large dining table- the biggest and longest he'd ever seen. It was like something out of a palace holo-drama, where kings and queens sat and feasted and drank for hours. And judging by the attitudes of the Delegorians seated around him, that was just what they intended to do.

 

"Make sure your boy feasts well, Lord Maul, on Delegor we appreciate a wife that can eat!" Cri'Ana, who was seated at the head of the table, called excitedly to Maul. ‘Excited’ seemed to be the only way these people talked. Maul had said they were a passionate culture, known for drinking, feasting and love, but Ezra didn't think they'd be so comically enthusiastic.

 

"My Ezra has been gaining a bit of weight, with my help- he was very thin when we met. I'll make sure he eats his fill." Maul called back. Ezra had to hide his face in his cup of wine to prevent himself from sneering at the comment.

 

"That's wonderful, I wish my boy Noh'Jah could put on a few kilos," He gazed to the boy stuck to his side with fondness, "I still love you, dear, but I want you to be healthy," Noh'Jah giggled and stroked the arm of the much larger man, "That brings us to the question- how _did_ you and your Ezra meet?"

 

In the force, Ezra sensed a slight discomfort from Maul. The Delegorians would surely be horrified to hear the true story of how Ezra came to be Maul's wife, so Ezra sat in amusement as he sensed the gears frantically turning in Maul's head, as the Zabrak formulated a suitable lie.

 

"Well, truth be told, Ambassador, I saved him." Maul began, and Ezra's eyes nearly rolled out of his head. "He was living on the streets when we met- on a planet far from here called Lothal. His parents had been murdered by Imperials, and I took him in."

 

"My goodness," Cri'Ana said melo-dramatically, "How terrible. But how very gracious of you."

 

"The boy was skin and bones then- surviving on whatever scraps he could find. As you know, many planets in our galaxy are not nearly as prosperous as Delegor- and unfortunately there are many orphans."

 

The Ambassador sighed sadly and tightened the grip on his wife, who looked on the verge of tears from the tragic story.

 

"I only wish I could save them all," Maul whispered as he dramatically lowered his gaze in mock sorrow. He looked up again to continue his tall tale, "I brought Ezra to Mandalore and gave him a home, and the boy said he'd never felt so comfortable and safe," Maul glanced over at Ezra with the fakest smile the boy had ever seen, "and after that, we eventually fell in love."

 

Cri'Ana and Noh'Jah were both sniffling now, and Ezra could feel Maul's disgust in the force at their blatant display of emotion.

 

"Dear," Noh'Jah spoke up for the first time, addressing Ezra, "You must be so happy to have a husband as wonderful as Lord Maul."

 

Maul smiled at Ezra again, but in the force, he was sending waves of threat and warning to the boy, urging him not to ruin what Maul had meticulously worked to create between the two groups.

 

Ezra considered for a moment what might happen if he told the foreigners about his situation. They seemed a very caring people- would they help if he asked for it? Would they take him away from here if he said he was being mistreated by Maul? If he confessed he was being kept hostage? Maul's onslaught of negative emotions in the force gave Ezra a sick feeling, and he decided to be good. For now.

 

"I'm so grateful for Maul," Ezra began with shaking breath, "He takes good care of me. If it weren't for him-" Ezra said, now completely truthful, "I don't know where I would be."

 

At the other end of the table, Cri'Ana and Noh'Jah gazed at each other lovingly.

 

"There is nothing better than a young couple in love, is there not?" The man said to his spouse.

 

"Reminds me of when we had just met." Noh'Jah reminisced.

 

"Oh, please, regale us with the romantic tale," Maul said, trying to not sound sarcastic, and desperate to get the conversation off of him and Ezra.

 

The Delegorians could sure tell stories, that, Ezra was sure of. They listened as the blue-skinned foreigners all began to tell Maul and Ezra of their own relationships, boring Maul practically to tears with stories of children, family, romance and melo-drama.

 

Through the afternoon, as the food on the table began to disappear, and the wine drained from everyone's glasses, the foreigners began to turn rowdy. Good-natured, but completely annoying and unruly.

 

"You make such a sweet couple-" Cri'Ana slurred at Maul and Ezra, Basic now accented with the remnants of their mother tongue,  "Why don't you two show us a kiss, eh?"

 

Maul could hardly hide his annoyance, though the drunk Delegorians probably couldn't sense it. Maul grinned patiently as he filled his mind with the promise of the history-making deal they were about to make, and all the possibilities of what he could do with an army's worth of cheap weapons of Delegorian quality. Maul turned to Ezra,

 

"Love, give me a kiss," he practically seethed. It deeply bothered Maul to do it in front of others, especially for their first time. He was angry that something so special was to happen in the company of the disorderly drunks around him, and not in the privacy of their palace. He was angered beyond words that the ritual and sacredness had been stripped from it. It was now merely a show to entertain some off-world fools.

 

Ezra jerked in his seat, but the look on Maul's face scared him into submitting. He leaned up in Maul's direction, feeling more awkward than he'd ever felt, and he paused. He just couldn't do it. He stayed there, hovering uncomfortably close to Maul's lips, praying to the force to give him the strength to move just an inch forward. It was Maul who completed the journey, and clumsily pressed his lips to Ezra's.

 

Ezra stilled, feeling the warm mouth moving against his own, and he practically choked on the lack of air. They parted after what felt like forever, and Ezra's heart stuttered in- what, fear? The boy couldn't quite tell. At the end of the table, the wild chortling of the Delegorian Ambassador cut through the awkward silence.

 

" _That_ was the most reluctant and grudging kiss I have ever seen, Lord Maul!" He howled, "Are you sure everything's alright between the two of you?" Now everyone was staring that them. Kriff. Ezra should have been more enthusiastic about it- now he could feel Maul's anger growing to a blazing pyre in the force.

 

"You'll have to forgive my boy, Ambassador." Maul spoke, "we're just recently married. I've not yet claimed him, so he is a bit awkward."

 

The eyes of the Delegorians lit up in amusement.

 

"How odd!" Cri'Ana announced, "He's quite old enough for it. Imagine that-" he looked in amusement to his compatriots at each side of him, "a married couple that does not physically love each other?"

 

"Perhaps," Noh'Jah began in that melodious voice, "since today is a momentous occasion for both our cultures, we can kindly lend them the use of one of our guest suites?"

 

"Oh, my No'Jah. You're quite right!" the drunk Ambassador guffawed, "That is a wonderful idea! Lord Maul must be so busy he finds no time to claim his wife, but tonight, after we speak of the weapons deal, we may let them rest and give them the opportunity to get _properly_ acquainted with one another." He turned to Maul again and winked, "our suites are quite luxurious, you can spend some quality time with your wife in the spa room."

 

Near the end of the meal, when the foreigners were nearly all too drunk to comprehend the details of the deal Maul was now laying out for them, they passed around a data-pad to each couple seated at the table. It went around as each pair jointly signed in agreement, and Maul was finally looking somewhat pleased. It had been worth the afternoon's annoyance, but he was still feeling bitter about the kiss he'd been forced to perform for the entire room. He stealthily added in some extra details to the contract that were clearly unfair, but the off-worlders had let their guard down so much they hadn't noticed. Maul had lowered his offer for the weapons by nearly half in spite for the Delegorian fools.

 

The data-pad finally reached Ezra, who was leaning his face in one hand, now tired and bored to death. The boy just stared mildly down at it.

 

"Sign the agreement, _love_ ," Maul threatened in a fakely pleasant voice.

 

"Sure, fine," Ezra mumbled. He picked up the device and signed his name on the screen. Maul audibly let out a breath of relief. It was finally over. They'd _won_.

 

And as if the off-worlders were actively conspiring to make their guests as uncomfortable as possible, they spoke up in slurred voices.

 

"Very good, very good! Now how about we take you two to your suite to celebrate the occasion?" Cri'Ana announced, sounding very proud.

 

Maul inwardly groaned but rose to follow the man, who grabbed him by the arm and led him, stumbling, down the hall. Noh-Jah, the fancifully adorned boy, followed after them as well, and went to put an arm around Ezra's shoulders and speak in his ear,

 

"I'm so exited for you! The first time is very special!"

 

"Uh-" Ezra chirped, "yeah."

 

The bangles and bracelets around Noh-Jah's arm jingled lightly with each step.

 

"You should take this," he said, reaching for something in the pocket of his delicate robes, and pulled out a small vial. "You'll need it for tonight," he hid his mouth with one hand as he giggled shyly.

 

"What's this?" Ezra said, examining the object.

 

"Oh my, you're so innocent! It's cute!"

 

Ezra turned the glass vial over in his hands- it seemed to be full of a clear, viscous liquid. Noh-Jah spoke again, amused at the puzzled Ezra.

 

"It's lubrication, of course!"

 

" _Oh!_ " Ezra yelped, holding the vial away from himself in barely concealed disgust. "I- erm. Thanks?"

 

Noh-Jah pat Ezra on the arm one last time as he smiled warmly.

 

"Have fun!" He called to Ezra, before parting from the group and walking back to the dining room. Ezra grinned awkwardly, then went back to staring at the vial of lubricant in revulsion. Ahead of Ezra, the Ambassador was leading Maul through the hall, one arm slung lazily over the Zabrak's shoulders as Maul tried his best to lean away. Ezra chuckled at the amount of disgust Maul's force signature was throwing off.

 

"Now remember," The Ambassador was speaking quietly into the side of Maul's head, "the prostate is-"

 

"I think I'll be alright, Ambassador Cri'Ana. In fact, you seem tired, perhaps I should be escorting _you_ to _your_ room."

 

"Oh, nonsense! Hey- I think I might have some lubricant around here somew-"

 

"It's quite alright! We'll be _fine_ ," Maul interrupted. _What a boor_ , he couldn't help but think. This evening couldn't end quickly enough.

 

At the door to the guest suite, Maul and Cri'Ana exchanged polite goodbye's for what felt like forever. The drunk man sloppily winking and nudging Maul knowingly- and Maul simply nodding and trying to gently urge the man to go away. Maul finally grabbed Ezra's arm and retreated into the room, waving a goodbye to the annoying Delegorian one last time as the door closed.

 

Once inside, both Ezra and Maul sighed wearily. Ezra walked over to slump down on the edge of the tall bed as Maul sat silently at a nearby desk.

 

"I thought today would never end," Ezra groaned, and fell backwards to lay limpy on top of the sheets.

 

"I don't know how my Master was ever able to do this," Maul rubbed at his face, "the constant feasts- the vacuous conversation- the negotiating with fools..."

 

"Your Master?" Ezra asked, perking up.

 

"A story for another time." Maul sighed. "For now, we rest."

 

"Don't tell me we have to do this again for breakfast tomorrow morning."

 

"No. I'll find an excuse to leave before the fools even wake. I don't want to deal with their congratulating tomorrow."

 

"They really expect us to... _you know_ , don't they?"

 

"Even if that were my intent, I'm far too tired." Maul said.

 

Then Maul was standing and pulling off his layered tunics, down to his underclothes. Ezra averted his gaze in embarrassment.

 

"Undress, Ezra, and sleep." Maul said, too tired to make it sound like a command. Ezra just shifted where he sat. "Unless you want to sleep in a tight robe and two kilos of gold."

 

Ezra reluctantly turned and got to work undressing, stopping when he was exposed down to the thin, silky shift under his dress. Then he looked around, noticing for the first time there was only one bed in the room. _Great._ Ezra didn't know what he expected. _  
_

 

"I won't touch you," Maul said wearily, as he lifted the covers and slid under them. "Though you're welcome to sleep on the floor if you're so adverse to being near me."  Ezra huffed at that. Maul knew the boy's pride wouldn't allow himself to sleep on the floor- like an animal. So Ezra simply circled the bed and inched under the silky blankets across from Maul, keeping himself as close to the edge as possible.

 

* * *

 

 

Ezra looked up from where he stood. He was in a large, dimmed, room, not unlike the one Maul had kept him in, though this one was different. The middle of the room was bisected by a large pane of glass- and on the other side, stood four shadowed figures, blurred and warped by the large window separating them. They seemed to be speaking quietly in intelligible, muffled voices. Ezra walked up to the glass. As he approached, he saw he recognized the figures.

 

" _Kanan!?_ " Ezra tried to call, but found that his voice was gone. He opened his mouth and tried with all his strength to make any sounds come out, but it was impossible.

 

"I'm glad he's gone, really." Kanan spoke from the other side of the room.

 

"The kid was annoying, that's for sure." The larger figure, Zeb, added.

 

"The Rebellion is better off without him," Hera said, in an uncharacteristically cruel voice.

 

Ezra wailed, or tried to, but his throat failed to make a single sound. He lifted his heavy arms to pound on the glass.

 

" _I'm here!_ " Ezra wanted to say, but all was painfully quiet.

 

The final figure emerged from the shadows- it was Sabine. She turned towards the glass, and Ezra could swear she could see right through it. She seemed to look into his eyes.

 

 _Sabine!_ Ezra called out with his thoughts, trying to urge the force to make his presence known to his friends.

 

"I never told him how much I hated him," Sabine said, looking straight at Ezra. "How much we _all_ hated him."

 

Then she smiled, a sick, twisted grin- a look that was never meant to be upon Sabine's beautiful face, a look that shook Ezra down to his core. Ezra tried to scream.

 

* * *

 

 

" _Ezra,_ " someone was shaking his shoulder. "Ezra, wake up." A deep voice, warm and low. Ezra opened his eyes, and realized he had been panting and shivering. His voice was hoarse.

 

"Maul? What-" he shuddered. "What happened...?"

 

"You were having a nightmare." The voice came from somewhere above him. Ezra looked, up through teary eyes, straining in the dark, and saw Maul leaning over his body. The Zabrak had one hand grasping Ezra's shoulder tightly. The hand almost imperceptibly rubbed at the ball of his shoulder.

 

Then, upon clearly remembering what happened in his dream, Ezra tried to stifle a sob. How cruel was this life? How much lower could it take him before destroying him completely? It just wasn't fair. Why _now_? Why _now_ of all times did he have to see his friends in his dreams? The boy sniffled raggedly as he momentarily lost control of the tears he'd been trying to hold back.

 

"I saw-" Ezra choked out, "I saw my-"

 

"You were calling for Kanan." Maul said, not trying to hide the bitterness in his voice.

 

"Oh," Ezra said, still panting. "I'm- I'm sorry. In my dream- my nightmare, I saw them.... I saw _my friends_."

 

Ezra shook his head, and settled back into his pillow with a sigh.

 

"I don't know why I'm telling you this." Ezra whispered, the sob threatening to cut off his voice apparent, "I just feel like- I feel like they didn't even _try_ , you know? In my nightmare they were telling me how they all hated me- how they always wished I was gone."

 

Ezra sniffled and grimaced, contorted and ugly, confident that Maul couldn't see his pain through the complete blackness, but the Zabrak's iridescent eyes caught every detail in the dark.

 

"Can I ask you something? And... will you tell me the truth?" Ezra whispered.

 

"Of course, Ezra," Maul said quietly, "I've never lied to you."

 

"Did they-" Ezra squeaked, hardly able to get out the words now, "did my friends ever try to find me?"

 

Maul paused, for one long and painfully silent moment. He rubbed again at Ezra's shoulder, smoothing the warm and strong hand over the boy's upper arm, giving him comfort in anticipation for the bitter answer.

 

"No." Maul finally said.

 

Ezra clenched his jaw silently, mouth turning downwards and eyes screwing shut.

 

" _Oh,_ " was the only reply.

 

Then Ezra was breathing hard through his mouth, chest heaving and struggling, willing the tears to go away before they spilled over his face. He failed, of course, and whimpered a helpless little sound as he wept. Maul slipped a hand under the boy and gently guided him to turn on his side and rest his face in the man's chest. Ezra accepted the comfort, not even caring what it looked like, not even caring what it meant. It just felt _better_ , if even for a little while.

Maul stroked the trembling boy's back, resting his own head against the pillow now, nose turned into Ezra's hair. He shushed him slowly and tried to soothe away the pain, almost regretting answering Ezra, almost regretting breaking his heart.

 

Almost regretting _lying_.

 

They lay there for what seemed like forever to Ezra, as he shook and wept into Maul's chest, while the Zabrak hooked an arm around the small form and held the boy still against him. Eventually Ezra turned over wearily and let himself be cupped into Maul's body, back fitting against the solid plane of the larger man like they were two pieces of a strange puzzle, opposite but complimentary.

 

Maul gently kissed the back of Ezra's head as the boy cried himself into a dark and numb sleep. The Zabrak grinned in satisfaction that the boy was beginning to feel comfortable seeking consolation in him, but he also let himself wonder for a moment if perhaps the price was too high, if Ezra's suffering was really necessary to ensure the boy's dependence on him. He forced himself to forget the notion and Maul willed himself to stay awake as long as he could, concentrating on the feeling of the rise and fall of Ezra's ribcage slowing against his front.

 

As Maul fell into slumber not long after, he couldn't help but think before he was pulled down into the darkness:

 

_Two victories in one day._

 

__


	3. Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go to the bottom for trigger warnings for this chapter (spoilers)

The next morning Maul and Ezra sneakily left the foreigner's flagship in the early hours of the day, before the Ambassador had any time to accost Maul with questions about the previous night's 'celebration.' The two made their way back to Sundari, joined by Generals Kast and Saxon, and Maul made sure to replace Ezra's shock collar at the earliest opportunity.

 

Before Ezra knew it, he was back in the room. Upon returning, he nearly dropped to his knees in despair at the sight that he'd grown so familiar to- the surroundings holding negative feelings and connotations for him now. He wondered if Maul would let him remodel, just so he wouldn't have to stare daily at the same decorations for all of eternity. Ezra now loathed the sight of that bed and the chairs and the stupid carpet- it seemed being outside for an entire day had spoiled him.

 

Ezra somberly wilted onto his bed with a sigh, still tired from the previous night, the nightmare still weighing heavily on his mind.

 

After experiencing the nightmare- or vision- or whatever it was, Ezra felt like he was mourning the loss of his friends all over again.

 

But even through the lingering sadness, the boy felt something inside of him was different. It was somehow better. Ezra was changed from the previous night's events, if even in a very small way. He felt... _lighter_.

 

Ezra let his mind wander back to how Maul had tenderly embraced him in bed, warming and calming him, and how it felt to have someone solid and sure to lean on. Maul's very presence felt stable, and some small part of Ezra began to feel he could depend on the man for emotional reassurance and comfort. After all, Maul _had_ so far been good to his word, and hadn't pushed Ezra to give any more than he felt ready to.

 

Ezra leaned back to rest against his pillow, and allowed himself to wonder what life would be like if he were truly _together_ with Maul- together as normal lovers are. _Just a thought experiment_ , Ezra convinced himself, _just for curiosity's sake_.

 

Would it really be so bad?

 

Ezra couldn't shake the feeling of unease he felt at his own emotions, however. It was all so strange and new- Ezra hadn't fathomed himself ever looking at _men_ in a... 'romantic' way. The boy had always assumed he'd get hooked up with a nice girl, probably someone like Sabine, headstrong and passionate and loyal. But then again, there was always something _missing_ from his experiences with girls- which is probably why he had never actually dated any before.

 

He liked girls, liked the way they looked, liked their sensitivity, but there was something they had always failed to make him feel, Ezra now realized. And it was just the feeling he had experienced the previous night with Maul. That _smallness_. The neediness, the dependence and the comfort. Being provided for.

 

Ezra jumped up and paced around the bed, as if that would help purge the invading thoughts from his mind. Why did everything have to be so confusing now? He almost couldn't believe the ideas he had been entertaining. He _wanted_ to hate himself for it, because Ezra logically knew thinking about Maul like _that_ was absolutely insane. He _wanted_ to feel disgust and revulsion, he wanted to feel anything but what he was feeling now.

 

Attraction.

 

* * *

 

 

The days passed slowly- though strangely enough, not as slowly as before.

 

There was a schedule to it all, Ezra would eat breakfast in quiet with a book in one hand and his fork in the other, then would watch a holo-drama in the afternoon, then maybe take some more time to himself in the sauna in the early evening.

 

The highlight of his day, of course, was when Maul would come for dinner.

 

Ezra would find himself looking forward to it, as it was the only thing that broke up the quiet monotony of his day. When dinner time was approaching, he'd sit at the table in anticipation, lavishly dressed in one of the new outfits Maul had delivered to his suite, and wait for the Zabrak to appear.

 

As time went on, Ezra enjoyed the conversation he had with Maul more and more. Some parts of Maul's life were very interesting, Ezra thought. Maul would tell him all about his day as the ruler of a planet- the laws Maul put into place, sometimes an exciting assassination attempt, and Maul even let Ezra make suggestions on how to proceed with some of the policies he'd planned on rolling out. Then they'd talk about the books Ezra read throughout the day, and to the boy's surprise, Maul knew a lot about history. Ezra never knew Maul was an expert on so many things, and the boy really admired that about him.

 

"So, I hate to remind you about this," Ezra said one day at dinner, "but remember when we went on that ambassadorial mission a week ago?"

 

"Hmm?" Maul hummed thoughtfully over a bite of rare meat.

 

"You said that I would get... You know. A reward?" Ezra winced. He didn't want to come off as selfish, or make Maul think the rewards was all he thought about. For some reason.

 

"Oh- you're  right, Ezra. I apologize, I had nearly forgotten. It's been quite busy lately, as you know we've been distributing the Delegorian weapons to the troops, and I've been constantly away these past few days, advising my generals." Maul paused, and put his fork and knife down on his plate. He clasped his hands together, "Is there anything you have in mind for your reward?"

 

Ezra had never thought about it- and he certainly didn't expect Maul would let him make a request. _This_ was definitely a new development.

 

"Well, I don't really know..." Ezra mumbled. He poked at the bits of vegetables on his plate. Maul had been letting him eat with forks and knives lately, as their trust in each other had steadily grown over the days. "Oh," Ezra finally said, "maybe we can- and you can refuse if you want, but I was thinking we could... go somewhere? Together?"

 

Maul leaned back in his chair, looking at Ezra with an unreadable expression.

 

"Go somewhere? Hmm. I suppose you've been cooped up in here for a while now, a change of scenery might do you good." Maul rubbed at his chin with one hand, voice not betraying the suspicion he felt at the suggestion.

 

" _Really_?" Ezra said excitedly. "I mean- that would be amazing! Thank you!" Ezra went back to eating, not able to hide the half-smile on his face as he placed each bite in his mouth. Maul just looked on with interest, carefully examining the boy's force signature, looking for any abnormalities that might betray Ezra's true intentions.

 

"You know, I was thinking," Ezra finally said when his plate was clear. "In the long-term," he began carefully, "do you think that there will ever be a day when we're, like, _normal people_?"

 

"How do you mean, apprentice?"

 

"Well you know how sometimes I give you suggestions on the policies you make and stuff? Maybe someday we could actually- like, work together. Outside. I guess I know I'm not an expert on politics, but I'd really like to see you at work, doing what you do during the day. I think it'd be interesting. And we always eat dinner together anyways, but what if we ate together somewhere else?" Ezra nervously laughed, wondering if he had gone too far with the request. He couldn't help the words that clumsily spilled out of his mouth- the waiting and solitude of each day making him needy and chatty during the only few hours he got to see another person.

 

"That's quite an idea, Ezra," Maul replied in a strangely monotonous voice. Was he surprised, or irritated, or suspicious? Or all three?

 

"Sorry,“ Ezra said sheepishly. "It's just a thought. I mean, I think it'd be a good way to get to know you more- if I got to spend time with you, out there, like a normal person."

 

"I agree. But you understand it's a tall order, as you've only been here three weeks." Maul hummed in thought. "Though I suppose since you've already earned one reward, we can take you outside sometime, and use that as an opportunity to see if you're ready for it. If you're good, I'll consider letting you spend a day with me in my office."

 

"Wow, really!? You mean it?"

 

"Yes. It was never my intention to keep you here, in this room, indefinitely. It was always only a matter of time until I let you out. I had only thought that would take years rather than weeks." Ezra gulped at that- he couldn't imagine spending _years_ cooped up in this room. The room that grew smaller with each day he was trapped inside.

 

"So, where will you take me? For my reward, I mean?" Ezra said.

 

"The palace gardens, I think. You've spent so much time looking at images of it through the screen in your room, I think you should finally experience it in reality." Ezra smiled, a genuine, grateful look.

 

"I would like that." He said warmly.

 

* * *

 

 

When the day finally came, Ezra waited anxiously for Maul to appear. He rummaged through the dresser in his room, looking for a suitable outfit to wear for going outside. Surprisingly, as the days went on, Ezra found himself actually liking dressing up for Maul's arrivals, it was something to do, after all. And finding things to occupy his mind with was the key to not going crazy in this place. Also, Maul seemed to like it, and having Maul in a pleasant mood made everything so much easier. Ezra had almost forgotten the pain and the difficulties of days long past.

 

Ezra dressed himself in a long tunic and tights, and put on a pair of delicately decorated shoes. The intricate gold stitching glinted in the soft lights of the late afternoon, and Ezra smiled at himself through the mirror Maul had allowed him to have installed on the wall next to the dresser.

 

Ezra jumped when he heard the gears in the far wall turning, and he stood in the middle of the room, practically shaking with excitement as Maul walked through the doorway.

 

"You look good, apprentice." Maul greeted. It stoked Maul's pride to have the boy care about his appearance, as it was something Ezra did solely for him, solely for his eyes.

 

"Thanks! I, um, I'm glad you... like it." Ezra blushed. The rare compliments he got from Maul always made him feel warm inside. It fed the boy's soul and his strange, new desire to please the man.  Ezra found himself wondering why he had struggled for so long, if his friends weren't going to come save him, there was no use in prolonging his own suffering. Maul had been right- it was so much better to just give in.

 

"Come, my Ezra." Maul held out a hand to the boy. Ezra took it, and felt a strange jolt of sensation flash through his body at the feeling of Maul's large, warm hand wrapped around his own. Ezra couldn't believe he was actually _holding hands_ with Maul. The boy suddenly felt conflicted about his feelings once again. Ezra tried to drown those feelings.

 

Maul led the boy through the hall outside the room, up through the elevator and through his office for the second time ever. Some part of Ezra felt disappointed that he had to keep the shock collar on, but he didn't know what he expected. Maul definitely wouldn't allow him so many freedoms all at once.

 

They walked slowly through the halls of the upper levels, hand in hand, as they passed many armored guards and some royal assistants in the passageways. Each person seemed to be somewhat surprised at seeing the boy, but they respectfully averted their eyes and muttered a professional greeting.

 

"Good afternoon, Lord Maul," one guard announced. "And to you as well, Young Master."

 

Ezra felt somewhat pleased to have the respect of all these people. He smiled shyly and held Maul's hand a little tighter. A feeling akin to pride welled up inside him as he gazed up at Maul.

 

They had finally arrived at a large, decorated doorway, and the waiting guards standing at each side opened it for them. When the heavy doors swung open, Ezra was greeted with one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.

 

Tall, lush trees cast shadows over the thick vegetation of the manicured gardens, and the reddening sunlight reflected on each leaf and each blade of grass. There were stone pathways winding through the bushes, and each walkway was lined with flowers and blooms of all colors and sizes, most of which Ezra had never seen before.

 

The image Ezra had grown used to seeing on the screen in his room was truly no comparison to _this_. He practically gasped as he took in the sight.

 

"I'm glad you like it," Maul chuckled as he let go of Ezra's hand.  When the boy was occupied with slowly meandering through the gardens, stopping to look closely at the flowers, Maul turned back to the guards in the doorway.

 

"Have each entrance and exit monitored closely," Maul quietly ordered them, "Post two guards at each one. No one is to come or go from the gardens until I say so." The guards nodded dutifully and spoke curtly into their comms.

 

Maul turned to look back at the boy, who was adorably enraptured with the sight of all the plants in the courtyard. Ezra leaned down to stroke the petals of the soft flowers, and put his nose to each one, smelling the fresh, powdery scent. Maul looked on, feeling something like peace or contentment. Ezra looked so innocent now, so young and sweet and endearing- Maul's hearts practically ached at the sight. Taking the boy here was worth it, Maul decided. But under the pleasant feeling of gazing at the lovely boy was the bitter poison of suspicion- Maul couldn't let his guard down, especially now.

 

Hearing Ezra suddenly request an outing the day before was surprising to Maul, and he couldn't help but feel it was too quick of a turnaround. They had shared a tender moment on the Delegorian flagship, true, but the Zabrak didn't foresee it affecting the boy so profoundly. Maul hoped with his hearts and soul that this signified the end of Ezra's struggling, and the beginning of their new life together.

 

Maul walked slowly around the courtyard, keeping an eye on the curious boy, and sat down on a stone bench under a shady tree. When Ezra seemed to be content with his investigations of the scenery, he walked back to where Maul was sitting and planted himself down right next to the man. Ezra took in a breath of the pleasantly fresh air and sighed dreamily.

 

"Thank you. Really." The boy said. "I needed this."

 

"It seemed to do you some good," Maul said warmly, and he reached over to affectionately rub at the boy's shoulder.

 

"You know, back on Lothal, we had greenery, but nothing like this. This is like something from a holo-movie. It really is a garden fit for a palace."

 

"The plants were imported from several different worlds, and we have a staff of botanists to oversee their care." Maul mused. "Perhaps if you would like to see some plants or trees from your homeworld, I could put in a request to have them brought in."

 

"Nah," Ezra chuckled, "We pretty much just had grass on Lothal. Nothing like trees or flowers." Ezra smiled at the sight again, and felt a gentle breeze caress his face. "What about you? You said you didn't grow up on Dathomir, so did they have stuff like this where you lived as a kid?"

 

"No," Maul sighed, mood turning dark. "I didn't experience anything like this until I was already a man."

 

"Oh," Ezra whispered, wondering if asking about Maul's past was pushing it too far or not, "I don't want to pry..." Ezra trailed off.

 

"It's quite alright. I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you about my past."

 

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to..."

 

"You said you wished to understand me better," Maul faked a smile to put the boy at ease, and began speaking again after a long moment of silence. "I was taken by my Master as a child, and I grew up in a facility on a planet called Mustafar, under the care of a service droid. I was... I hadn't had anyone to speak to for many years. No friends or family, only the droid, and only my Master."

 

"What... What was he like? Your Master." Ezra quietly asked, as if speaking it too loud might upset Maul.

 

Maul took in a long breath, and Ezra thought Maul looked almost pained at the notion of speaking about his former Master.

 

"He was a terrible man. Imaginably cruel." Maul finally said. "The things he did to me, I cannot bear to even say aloud."

 

"I'm sorry," Ezra whispered sadly.

 

"He was called Darth Sidious, and he was my tormentor for the majority of my life. Even now, the threat of him returning..." Maul shook his head. "I swore I would become a better master than him. To give to my apprentice what I never had as a boy. And I was- _I did_ \- to my brother. I did the best I could." Maul had reached his limit and his voice cut off with sudden finality. "Let's not spoil the day with somber tales of ancient history, hmm?"

 

Maul smoothed a hand over Ezra's shoulder again, mouth lifting into a bittersweet half-smile. "I have you, now." Maul said, "So everything is much better."

 

And then, in that moment, everything was clear to Ezra. Memories of how he had rejected Maul's vulnerable plea on Dathomir came flooding back to him, and for the first time, Ezra felt true, complete regret at what he had said. Now he knew what that had meant to Maul. And Ezra felt terrible for it.

 

"I didn't know," Ezra began mournfully, "I'm really sorry. I wished you would have _told_ me. I could have helped-"

 

"It wasn't the right time, then," Maul said. "But it is now." And Maul looked down into Ezra's impossibly blue eyes, savoring the genuine sadness and sympathy in them, and Maul felt for the first time what it was like to receive compassion.

 

Ezra returned the gaze, and suddenly felt grateful that Maul had opened up to him. Grateful that he had seen a side of Maul that the man hadn't trusted with anyone else, and Ezra felt... _Forgiveness_. As he looked up to Maul's amber eyes, the boy's body buzzed with a strange anticipation. They gazed quietly at each other for many long moments as the still air grew thick with emotion.

 

Maul was the first to lean down, slowly to Ezra's face- watching the boy's expression and searching for permission. Ezra simply closed his eyes with acceptance, and they kissed.

 

It was totally different from the experience they had had on the foreign flagship, Ezra thought. This felt tender and soft and private and vulnerable and... _Good_. Ezra's body trembled with something alike and yet totally unlike adrenaline, and he experimentally moved his own lips against Maul's. Ezra let Maul guide him as he opened his mouth, just slightly, and felt a warm tongue slide against his bottom lip. Ezra yielded to the sensation and then felt a hand against his face, so much warmer than his own skin, gently cupping his cheek. A thumb caressed against his cheekbone, and that action alone sent a jolt of excitement down his body, through his heart and to his...

 

Ezra was the one to part, suddenly and awkwardly from Maul. He blushed hotly and gave the man a nervous smile.

 

Maul hummed knowingly and tried his best not to grin at Ezra's embarrassment. The boy's dilated pupils cast themselves from Maul's gaze and Ezra was now fidgeting with the hem of his tunic, shrugging his shoulders and nervously giggling.

 

"So- _yeah_!" Ezra squeaked, "The gardens are great!"

 

"I'm glad you've enjoyed them," Maul chuckled, "I have as well. Far more than I expected to."

 

"Yup! The only thing that would make them better is... a fountain!" Ezra inwardly winced at the stupid comment. His mind was still reeling from the kiss, his pants somehow feeling tighter than normal. He fought the urge to get up and run away.

 

"Well lucky for you, there is a fountain. On the far side," Maul motioned down the cobblestone path.

 

"Oh! Hm," Ezra looked around frantically, "Maybe I'll go check it out! Right...Right now!" He shot up and shuffled away, face red and brow furrowed, feeling awkward and strange and somehow scared- in an exciting new way. Maul just snickered at Ezra's child-like innocence, and let the boy go cool himself off after the heated kiss.

 

Ezra followed the stone path, away from Maul's line of sight. He tried to calm his nerves, willing himself to control his wild panting and shaking. _Did that really happen!?_ Ezra thought, _did I really just do that? Oh, force, and I enjoyed it? What's wrong with me?_

 

Ezra sat down at the edge of the tiered water fountain and looked into the gently rippling reflection on the surface. He cupped his hands into the water and splashed some on his face, soothing his incredibly hot skin. He sat there as he breathed slowly and tried not to think too hard about what he had just done.

 

The fountain was situated near the exit on this side of the gardens, and through the large closed door on his right, Ezra could suddenly hear men speaking in panicked voices on the other side.

 

"Look, I need to get in there. It's an _emergency_ ," one of the muffled voices demanded.

 

"Lord Maul has instructed us not to let anyone into the gardens at the moment."

 

"Yeah, but he didn't foresee _this_ happening. Just open the kriffing door, I need to speak with him for one second!"

 

"You may leave a message with us, we will tell Lord Maul to contact you when he's done."

 

"It _can't wait_ , you bantha karkers, the boy's little _friends_ are _here_! Sniffing around the palace for the _third_ kriffing time in as many weeks!"

 

The blood drained from Ezra's face.

 

His heart pounded in his ears.

 

He could no longer hear the voices shouting through the door, only his blood rushing through his veins, the adrenaline shaking his whole body, ears ringing and teeth chattering.

 

He shot up, a cold grimace plastering lines on his face, limbs trembling and feet taking him swiftly back over to Maul, feeling like he was on a mission. When he approached the Zabrak, the man sat there stiffly, looking confused and wary, as he saw the look of uncharacteristic abhorrence and loathing on the boy's face.

 

"You know what?" Ezra began coldy, as he curtly nodded with some strange look of amused finality, "All that stuff with your Master- was that even _true_? Is _anything_ you ever tell me even true?"

 

Maul looked sideways at Ezra, shocked at the boy's vicious tone.

 

"What-" Maul stuttered, caught off guard.

 

"You said your Master was a cruel tormentor. You know who's _really_ cruel? And enjoys tormenting people? It's _you_. Maybe you were actually talking about _yourself_ just then. I guess you're just like Darth Sidious- if Darth Sidious is even a _real_ person."

 

Maul shot up and snarled at Ezra, eyes blazing in a ferocious, righteous rage.

 

"How _dare_ you, boy." He said lowly, "Have you grown attached to the punishments I've been meting out? Perhaps you _miss_ being in isolation?" Maul shook his head and frowned bitterly. "What has even _gotten into you_?"

 

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me all that stuff just to manipulate me into feeling _sorry_ for you." Ezra said, not even phased by Maul's anger or the threat of being punished. "Just like how you told me my friends never came looking for me!"

 

Maul paused, his burning rage receding for one hundredth of a second. He thought on the best way to move forward with this. What in the world gave Ezra the idea they were looking for him?

 

"I have _never_ lied to you. But that's besides the point. Whatever has gotten into you, or whatever you _think_ you know, is wrong. And you will be punished severely for what you just dared to say to me."

 

"I heard some men over there- on the other side of that door, talking about my friends." Ezra continued, ignoring Maul's words, "They said my friends came _here_ , for the _third_ time." Maul laughed cruelly at that.

 

"Oh, you think they've come for _you_? How precious." He said through the cold chuckling. "Perhaps I should arrange a meeting between you? Let you see what your so-called friends _truly_ think of you."

 

Ezra clenched his jaw, eyes narrowing at Maul.

 

"The guards will escort you back to your room." Maul said as he waved dismissively. "And they're not quite as _gentle_ as I am." He motioned for the armored guards through the doorway to come forth, and each one grabbed roughly at Ezra's arms, starting to drag him away carelessly. "You'll think on the words you just spoke to me, boy, and pray I'm in a better mood by the time I come get you later. For now I have something more important to deal with."

 

* * *

 

 

Maul marched up to the guards posted at the east entrance to the gardens, glaring at them coldly. Gar Saxon was there too, and he looked expectantly to Maul and started to speak,

 

"Sir, I have news-" Saxon was cut off as he was suddenly lifted up, _hard_ , by the throat, and he dangled helplessly in the air as he pawed at the invisible hands holding him by the neck. He gasped and sputtered as he kicked his legs.

 

"Your carelessness has cost me a great deal, Saxon."

 

Gar tried to choke down a breath, hands still searching for whatever invisible force was holding him up in the air.

 

"More than you could ever know." Maul growled. He let his general stew in the fear of the threat of death for another long minute, as the guards posted at the door awkwardly pretended to look away.

 

Maul suddenly let him drop to the ground, and Saxon gasped and heaved in the air as he rubbed his sore neck.

 

"I just- I was looking-" He stuttered, but Maul cut him off.

 

"You were _looking_ for _trouble_ when you came here while I was with Ezra, shouting sensitive information for all to hear. You will be dealt with, this I guarantee, but first you will make yourself useful and tell me where the Rebels are."

 

* * *

 

 

The guards that were hauling Ezra roughly by the arms practically threw him to the ground when they entered the suite, and they marched off back through the door and quickly shut it behind them.

 

On ground, still feeling the firey rage buzzing through his veins, Ezra snarled ferally and pounded his fists at the floor. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe _himself_. He had actually started to _like_ being here, like being with Maul, but all that was shattered when he found out Maul had lied to him. Who knows what else he had lied about.

 

Ezra vowed to never again believe a word that came from that wretched man's mouth. The boy shuddered when he remembered the kiss they had shared just moments before finding out the truth. He felt violated by it now.

 

Ezra was too angry to cry, too angry to feel anything but loathing. He simply sat on the floor, feeling the hatred inside him as if it were his blood, and he sneered at nothing in particular. He sat there for a long while, thinking back on the memories of Maul that were now tainted with the bitter reality of their relationship. A relationship that was based on threats and manipulation and coercion.

 

When Maul came for him not but an hour later, Ezra scowled at the man as Maul wordlessly grabbed Ezra and hauled him to his feet. Ezra let himself be drug out of the room once again, not having anything more to say to Maul that wouldn't grant him another, harsher punishment.

 

They came to a door, somewhere in the upper levels, and the silent guards opened it for them. It was a small room, secure-looking, and empty. All empty except for-

 

 _It couldn't be_.

 

Maul pushed Ezra inside, retreating back beyond the door and locking it with a loud clank. Now Ezra was alone-

 

alone with _Hera and Kanan_

 

" _Kanan_!" Ezra shouted, heart suddenly soaring with happiness and relief. He approached them with open arms, walking up for a big hug, "I- I can't believe it! You're actually here! I can't believe Maul is letting me go with you guys! It's all- it's all _over_."

 

"No, Ezra." Kanan said, stepping back and cruelly rejecting the boy's embrace. "We're not here to take you away."

 

Ezra laughed, an confused and unbelieving and hurt sound. Ezra gaped at Hera in pleading puzzlement, who simply averted her gaze from him, and the boy finally looked back to Kanan, and stared with a tilted head.

 

"What are you talking about?" Ezra muttered in a pained voice. "I've been _trapped_ here," he paused, "and you guys, you came to get me- to _rescue_ me."

 

"Look, like I said, kid." Kanan began, shaking his head, "We're not here for you. I just wanted you to know that. We didn't come to save you."

 

"You can't be serious- stop _joking_ with me, Kanan, it's not funny!" Ezra yelled, voice cracking at the tears that were beginning to form in his wide eyes. "This isn't _real_ \- it can't be real! Let's just go _home_ , please!"

 

"We- we don't want you, Ezra. So just stop. Please." Hera said, sounding almost disappointed.

 

Ezra gawked at them, staring with an open mouth, as he looked back and forth between the two.

 

It was just like his nightmare, the boy realized. No- not a nightmare. It was a _vision_.

 

"Look, we came to Mandalore to find Sabine's dad. You know he lives in Sundari, right? So... yeah." Kanan said in a detached voice. "Once we get him we can bring him back to Sabine. We really couldn't care less about you, Ezra. So I think we'll be going now." Kanan turned to leave, not even looking back at Ezra a single time.

 

Ezra's heart dropped out through his stomach. He tried to find his voice, to say something to them one last time, but before he could gather himself, Hera and Kanan had disappeared through the doorway on the opposite side of the room. He couldn't even say goodbye.

 

The boy stood there on weak, shaking legs in the silent room- unbelieving and yet strangely not surprised. It would make sense that the one day he slept without his force-blocking shock collar, that the force would come to him with a vision of his friends- a vision of events to come. Ezra felt numb in every way, the tears that had threatened to spill over his face long dried and gone.

 

Ezra didn't even hear the door behind him open, and was too numb to sense Maul coming to stand at his side.

 

"Now you know the reality of it." He said coldly, offering no comfort to the boy. "It's a shame I have to punish you so severely in light of you discovering the bitter truth about your friends."

 

Ezra was silent.

 

"One step forward and two steps back," Maul muttered. "As they say."

 

* * *

 

Maul escorted Ezra back to his room, and strangely, Ezra noticed, Maul was taking his time and walking slowly, as if he was savoring the anticipation of what was to come. They walked in silence, and with every step Ezra grew more and more regretful at his actions and fearful for what was to come. The shock and numbness of what had transpired with Kanan and Hera eventually faded completely, and Ezra started to shake with dread. He had really gotten himself in deep this time, the boy realized.

 

The heavy door slid open, and if it wasn’t for the giant screen showing the courtyard on one wall, Ezra wouldn’t have known it was his room. The entire suite was bare, save for one thin mattress on the floor on the far side. Every piece of furniture, the table and dresser and even the shelves and books, were all _gone_. Ezra’s breath hitched and he held in a gasp.

 

And it was only the beginning, the boy knew.

 

They stood there for a long moment, and all was still. Ezra hoped Maul would speak first, break the silence and the icy dread, but cruelly, he didn’t. Ezra’s voice was the one to first pierce the thick air, and the boy was surprised at his own meek, trembling words.

 

“Maul, _please_ \-- I didn’t know- I heard the men talking and I thought- I’m just _sorry_ , okay?” Ezra’s shaking voice turned to blubbering and sobbing, “I’m so _sorry_! I know now you were telling the truth, and I shouldn’t have said all that stuff-”

  
  
”You are right about _one_ thing, _apprentice,_ ” Maul spat the word as if it were an insult, “You _shouldn’t_ have said what you did, but we can hardly turn back time, now can we?” 

 

Ezra could only sob and whine, tears now flowing freely over his face, knowing there was nothing he could say to make it better- nothing he could say to fix what he had done.

 

“I open myself to you, trust you with my past- and what do you do, hm? You _use it against me_ at the first opportunity. You have made a grave error, Ezra.” Maul scoffed, “I can hardly believe we had just begun to trust each other- and now _this_.”

  
  
Ezra shuffled over to the dingy mattress on the floor, looking down at it in shame- the tears running down his face and dotting the fabric as he whimpered.

  
  
”You’re gonna... leave me alone again?” Ezra shuddered and pulled his arms to himself, “Please don’t leave me alone again! Not like this!”  

 

“Your little outburst has cost you my trust, Ezra. You have done the _unthinkable_. I highly doubt you even comprehend the gravity of what you’ve said to me. I care not that you failed to trust me about your friends- that you believed I was lying when I said they never came for you. That doesn’t matter- but you compare me to- to _him_?” 

 

Maul approached Ezra and reached into his pocket to retrieve the device that controlled the image on the large screen. He grabbed Ezra roughly by the shoulder and forced him to turn and look at the wall- as Maul clicked a button and the image changed.

 

The image flickered and switched to security camera footage of the meeting between Ezra and his friends just minutes ago. Ezra sniffled and mewled as he watched the footage, now with sound- turned to _loud_ volume, as it repeated the words that shook Ezra to the core. Maul clicked another button and the frame zoomed in on Kanan and Hera’s cold, expressionless faces.

 

“We’re not here for you.”

 

“ _We don’t want you, Ezra._ ”

 

“We’re not here for you.”

 

“ _We don’t want you, Ezra_.”

 

“We’re not here for you.”

 

Over, and over, and _over_ again. On a cruel loop, Ezra watched on through blurred eyes as the video repeated the two most terrible phrases Ezra had heard in his entire life. Soon his sobbing was nearly as loud as the volume from the screen’s speakers.

 

“You _can’t_ ,” the boy blubbered in a clumsy, childish voice, “Not like this, please! It’s _too much_!”

 

Maul huffed, anger only growing with Ezra’s pitiful protests. Maul now understood the boy still didn’t know how much his careless comments in the gardens had affected him. Maul thought back on those very words, feeling them saturate his mind, and he _let_ himself get angry. He embraced the hatred and allowed it to flow through him freely, savoring the call of the dark side as rage filled his hearts and soul. Being angry was so much easier than the alternative.

 

“I’m... I’m _sorry_. I’m so, _so_ sorry.” Ezra said, sputtering and sobbing like a child caught behaving badly, and Maul just stared in a detached way.

 

Maul imagined himself striking Ezra with the back of his hand, hard, hearing the loud crack reverberate and echo through the now empty room, accompanied only by the sound of the Rebels' looping statements. He had done worse to many beings before, beings who had not caused him half the grief Ezra had. He imagined how satisfying it might feel, but he ignored it. Laying hands on the boy unprovoked is something _Sidious_ would have done.

 

And he would not give the boy the satisfaction of being correct about his comparison to Sidious.

 

Instead, he pushed the trembling boy towards the mattress, and Ezra stumbled, foot catching on the edge and he went tumbling back, landing with a thump as the stiff springs beneath the fabric practically bruised his thighs.

 

Above him, Maul was standing tall, lit from behind by the glow of the screen, expression obscured in shadow. All Ezra could see now was two glowing, yellow eyes, and for a second he wondered if Maul might really kill him this time. Ezra frantically tried to shuffle away from the man on hands and knees.

 

Maul lunged forward and grabbed Ezra by the back of the neck, and shoved him face-first, roughly into the hard mattress. The pressure keeping Ezra’s face to the mat was phenomenal, it was a strength Ezra had not known before from Maul- the strength of someone who intended to maim. Ezra was reminded how much stronger the older man was compared to him.

 

“You think I’m like Sidious, do you!?” Maul kept that iron vice-like grip holding Ezra down, humiliatingly prone below the Zabrak. Maul moved to straddle Ezra’s legs, and he put all his weight onto the boy, metal prosthetics biting into soft thighs.

 

“ _Please_! I didn’t mean- I just- mmphh-!” Maul cut off the boy’s words with another rough shove to neck, just as a little warning- and then he let the boy turn his face to the side to speak. “Please, Maul, I know it was wrong! _I_ was wrong! But I know now! I’m so _sorry_ , I swear!”

 

“Not good enough.” Maul announced. “Not nearly good enough. Do you even realize what you had said to me? I did _not_ suffer for _years_ under his torment to be compared to him now!” It was the first time Ezra had ever heard Maul raise his voice, and that alone told Ezra that he had done something very, _very_ wrong.

 

“You want to know how Sidious might have punished a similar transgression? You want me to _be_ Sidious so badly? You want to know what _he_ has _done_ to _me_!?” Maul kept that stone grip on Ezra’s neck and pushed with all his weight, pinning the boy so all his struggles moved him not even an inch.

 

Maul grabbed the waistline of the boy’s pants with his free hand and jerked it down with incredible force, nearly ripping the fabric at the stitches. The realization that came with that action set off Ezra’s flailing and screaming, and the boy floundered under an unrelenting grip, pinned at the throat and the thighs, in a degrading position on the shabby mattress. Now only thin underclothes were separating the fearful boy from the unthinkable.  

 

Ezra sobbed in helplessness and embarrassment as hot tears and snot dripped from his face. He could hardly breath, he could hardly hear anything but his own voice wailing in fear and alarm, even louder than the voices of his friends repeating those terrible words over and over. His face felt hot and wet, and in the moment, Ezra was sure he had hit rock bottom.

 

Ezra begged Maul in an intelligible, panicked voice, begged with everything he had, shouting and screeching at Maul to stop. Behind and above Ezra, he heard the unmistakable sound of a zipper coming undone. Ezra screamed at that- it seemed one of his worst nightmares was coming true. He wailed, high-pitched in sorrow and horror. He could hardly make out his own words as he struggled, trying to move away from the hand that threatened to tear away his underclothes.

  
  
Maul pressed a hand to Ezra’s hip, practically crushing his hipbone to the mattress. Ezra gasped and cried out at the feeling of being so vulnerable in this terrifying way. Maul was silent as Ezra’s fear reached its climax, and he waited for Ezra’s voice to go hoarse and quiet and break from the horrified wailing. Maul then slowly leaned down to speak softly into Ezra’s ear, intimate and dangerous,

 

“Pray you’ll never experience even a fraction of what I have.”

 

And not but a second later, Maul was up and off of the boy, walking away and leaving the half-undressed Ezra to sob in shame and relief.

 

* * *

 

 

Later that evening, in the gardens, two guards escorted Kanan and Hera to meet with Maul, who was waiting surrounded by his royal bodyguards, hands clasped behind his back.

 

“Alright, Maul,” Kanan started, already irritated at the situation, “We’ve done what you asked. Now release Sabine’s father.”

 

“I must admit, _Master Jedi_ ,” Maul said with a cold grin of amusement, “you have done well in convincing the boy you weren’t looking for him. It was quite the performance.” 

 

“Look, the deal was we tell Ezra whatever you wanted,” Hera said, grimacing in shame at what they had been forced to do, “and you _don’t_ hurt Sabine’s dad,” 

  
  
” _And_ ,” Kanan added, “we have your word that you won’t hurt Ezra either. Now hold up _your_ end of the bargain, Sith.”

 

“Well,” Maul hummed in false thoughtfulness, “That wasn’t _quite_ the deal we made. Seems your short-term memory is as useless as your eyesight, Jedi.”

 

“Just get on with it,” Kanan growled, “Hand over Sabine’s dad!” 

 

“I never said I would _hand over_ the man, I merely said I wouldn’t _execute_ him. I’m not sure what gave you the idea I would be releasing him to you. If I did that, then I wouldn’t have any assurance you won’t come looking for the boy any longer.”

 

“I can’t _believe_ this!” Kanan roared, and Hera looked over at her lover with a worried expression. “You _implied_ that you would free him, and you know it!”

  
  
”If I was _implying_ anything, it would be the implication that I’d give him freedom from the fear of death and dismemberment. Not freedom in the physical sense.” 

 

“You manipulated us!” Kanan shouted, and Hera held onto his arm, trying to calm him and remind him not to do anything rash.

 

“I did, what of it? You played the part perfectly- and now you will both leave, never to return, lest I go back on my guarantee of Mr. Wren’s safety.”

 

“Then what did we get out of this deal, exactly?” Hera hissed. “We didn’t get Ezra and we didn’t get Sabine’s father. What was the _point_?”

 

“The point, General Syndulla, was to give my apprentice closure- and freedom from the torment of worrying over you pathetic people.”

 

Hera and Kanan both seethed in silence.

 

“Now,” Maul said, growing tired of talking in circles at them, “my guards will escort you to your ship- and you will not be coming back. Ever. Ezra will be taken care of and Mr. Wren will be safe, so long as you not return.” 

 

Kanan snarled and bared his teeth at Maul, and he shook with anger as Hera tried to calm him, to no avail. Maul watched as the Jedi’s hand inched ever closer to the saber at his hip. When the guards around them stiffened and readied themselves for an attack, Maul waved them off and they backed down. _No_ , Maul thought. _I will be dealing with this myself- and with great pleasure_.

 

“You know what, Maul?” Kanan hissed, “We’re _never_ going to stop looking for Ezra, and we’ll find Sabine’s father, too- then you’ll have nothing you can use to keep me from my Padawan.”

 

“Then I suppose it would be advantageous of me to deal with you both right now, regardless of our little deal.” Maul stared him down, waiting and praying for an excuse to draw his lightsaber.

 

“No,” Hera’s quiet voice urged her partner, “Love, please don’t,” she said.

 

Maul's yellow eyes blazed and stared at where the Jedi's would have been, had he not worn that ridiculous mask. Maul made himself known through the force, taunting the Jedi with his presence and his strength.

 

Kanan's fingers twitched, dangerously close to his saber.

 

Maul smirked a jagged, predatory grin, drinking in the anticipation of another battle. It had been far too long since he had last killed. His own gloved hand hovered over his weapon, and Maul savored that familiar feeling just before a kill. _The gardens will be bathed in Jedi blood tonight_ , he thought, the lust for battle buzzing in his veins.

 

Another long moment passed as the two warriors sized each other up and stared each other down.

 

Then it came- faster than Maul expected, Kanan drew, ignited and swung his saber at Maul in one fluid motion. The Zabrak was almost impressed at the speed- almost.

 

Of course, Maul was a hair faster, and had the advantage of sight.

 

Maul's ignited saber came up and swung forth to block the Jedi's blow, and they locked blades as the two clenched jaws and narrowed eyes. Maul gave a swift, unexpected kick to the Jedi's abdomen and succeeded in knocking him back one clumsy step. The Jedi stumbled, and Maul swung his saber horizontally, planning to bisect Kanan in one fell strike.

 

Unfortunately the Jedi had foreseen the hit, and it was his turn to go on the defensive. He raised his saber to block, but was unprepared for the sheer force Maul put behind his blow. Maul's blade shoved the defending saber back and the Zabrak was able to slash a shallow cut through the Kanan's armor, and judging from the sudden, pained yelp, he had singed skin as well.

 

Kanan flinched and groaned from the sharp pain, one arm moving to cover the shallow but agonizing injury at his waist. Maul used the moment of distraction to lift his lightsaber to the air, poised for what would be the killing blow- but a horrified voice screamed at them to stop.

 

" _No_!" Hera screeched, "We'll leave you alone, we promise, _I swear_ , just stop!"

 

Maul paused, eyeing the Jedi, seeing if he would back down as well. Maul knew the two could be useful for later if kept alive, and he didn't exactly want the Rebellion knocking at his door day and night, looking for the murderer of two of their most important members.

 

Kanan seemed to recognize the futility of fighting Maul, after all, even if he did succeed in killing him, that wouldn't necessarily bring him any closer to finding Ezra or even Sabine's father. He and Hera would probably both be dead seconds after killing Maul anyways, if the dangerously ferocious force signatures of the guards around them were any indication. _No_ , Kanan thought. _I can't do it, even if I can't find Ezra, I have to keep Hera safe._

 

After a moment of consideration from both the warriors, Kanan disengaged his saber, and Maul too not long after. The Jedi seemed to grimace in shame.

 

"Fine," he said, backing off and going over to comfort Hera, "We'll leave. Just keep your promise to not hurt Ezra. Or you'll regret it."

 

"He will be well cared-for, in _every_ way." Maul taunted in a suggestive voice, leaving the implication for the Jedi and his companion to seethe over.

 

The Jedi limped away with the Rebel general in tow, to lick their proverbial wounds, as they were flanked by several armed guards. Maul looked on, feeling somewhat pleased at the day's accomplishments- the only thing still spoiling his mood was how Ezra had reacted to him earlier, but that too would resolve itself in time.

 

Maul nodded at the remaining guards in the courtyard as he turned to leave, walking back to his own quarters, suddenly feeling weary. It had been a long day.

 

As Maul tucked himself into his bed that night, he tried not to think about Ezra. That could wait until morning, he decided- and reluctantly, he slept.

 

* * *

 

 

Ezra wasn’t sure when morning came, as he didn’t have a chrono to measure time by, and the usual day and night cycle of the UV emitting screen didn’t show anything but Hera and Kanan’s faces and those tortuously loud, repeating phrases.

 

“We’re not here for you.”

 

“ _We don’t want you, Ezra._ ”

 

“We’re not here for you.”

 

“ _We don’t want you, Ezra._ ”

 

“We’re not here for you.”

 

For hours upon hours upon hours, this was all Ezra heard. It was all he knew, and it leeched into his brain and poisoned his mind. This was the single worst torment Ezra had ever experienced, even surpassing the horror he felt at the threat of being violently despoiled by Maul the previous day.

 

Though Ezra wasn’t sure when the previous day even _was_. Time blurred and dragged on, and Ezra now was willing to do _anything_ to make the voices stop. He was more desperate than he had ever been before.

 

Ezra jumped up in a craze and ran to the giant monitor, and he beat it savagely with his fists. He slammed his knuckles to the glass over and over, and even lifted a leg to kick the screen, willing to try anything to just _make it stop._ The glass was still solid and whole, with not even a scratch left by his attack. He punched it again, just for good measure, and when it didn’t yield he continued to thrash and pummel it for all he was worth.

 

When his knuckles were bloody and broken and useless, he fell back on his sheb to the floor, and wailed another painful cry. He moaned hoarsely but the tears didn’t come, they had long run dry and the boy had no running water in his bathroom to drink from. He dragged himself across the floor to the mattress, willing his mind to shut the voices out, but it was hard- it was _so_ hard. The voices were just too loud.

 

“We’re not here for you.”

 

“ _We don’t want you, Ezra._ ”

 

“We’re not here for you.”

 

“ _We don’t want you, Ezra._ ”

 

“We’re not here for you.”

 

Ezra reached the mat and let himself fall limp upon it, though it was anything but comfortable with its hard, biting springs and rough fabric. The boy clamped his hands hard over his ears and groaned, trying to focus on his own thoughts rather than the loud voices, even though his own mind was of no comfort to him now.

 

When that didn’t work to distract him, he shot up again and limped wearily to the mirror next to where his dresser used to be, and he stared into the eyes reflecting back at him. His face was sallow and lined with worry, and his eyes dark and shadowed by who knows how long without sleeping. Had it been one day? Two days? Even longer? It could have been an eternity for all the boy knew. He stared numbly.

 

He looked at the sharp edge of the unframed mirror, and wondered if a shard of its glass might be enough to pierce the screen and stop the video.

 

He kicked the mirror with one foot, his shoes too soft to do much damage. It didn’t yield. He kicked again, and again, and finally a spider web pattern began to bloom from the center of his blows. He kicked a few more times and with a loud _crack_ , the mirror shattered into many large, jagged pieces. Ezra grinned a satisfied and deranged look as he examined the mirror that was now in pieces on the floor, the expression on his face multiplied a hundred-fold in the glinting shards.

 

He picked up the largest and sharpest one, smiling into it with an demented look that didn’t reach his eyes. He held tight onto it, unphased even when blood started to pool in his palm.

 

He walked over to the monitor, and stabbed its point hard onto the screen. It left a small divot that distorted the picture slightly in its place, but otherwise didn’t do any damage. He stabbed it again, right in the center of the weak point he had created. Still nothing but a slight scratch. He stabbed again- and again and again- but the only thing to crack was the point of the glass shard he held in his hand, the edge of the weapon he was grasping now useless and dull.

 

He dropped the shard and it fell to the carpeted floor without a sound. He stared at his own palm, investigating the two bloody lines cut deep into his skin.

 

“We’re not here for you.”

 

“ _We don’t want you, Ezra._ ”

 

“We’re not here--”

 

The voices seemed to fade slightly as Ezra experimentally clutched his hand, fingers biting into the two stinging cuts. He tightened his grip, and with a sick _squish_ , some blood squeezed from the center of his fist and drizzled onto the carpet.

 

The voices were all but silent, and Ezra thought he might have officially gone insane.

 

It was the pain that quieted them.

 

Ezra walked back to the pile of shards by the wall, and picked up another, sharper one. He stared at the edge, a dark and dangerous idea appearing in his mind. He held onto it, arm shaking and teeth chattering.

 

He rolled up one sleeve, and looked at the pristine, unmarked skin of his soft forearm. He stared.

 

 _It would make the voices stop_ , Ezra thought, _it would make the pain stop. All of it- stop. All for good._

 

He held the razor-sharp edge lightly to his arm, and felt incredible relief at the realization that he _could_ do it. Ezra was comforted by the idea that if it ever got too much- he had the _option_ of ending it. Just knowing it was possible gave the boy so much consolation, and Ezra felt a cool solace soothe his body and his nerves. He never thought _that_ was the feeling that would accompany this moment- _I’ve really cracked_ , Ezra mused. _I should be scared, but I’m just not._

 

Ezra smiled gently and started to press the glass to his arm, and listened to the voices from the speakers fade with each bit of pressure he applied. Soon there was a line of dark blood running in a thin stream down his arm and settling in the crook of his elbow, pooling there until it dripped off and onto the floor.

 

He pressed harder and harder, and soon he was light-headed from the blood he’d lost from the cuts on his arm and his right hand, mind so fuzzy and blurring that he didn’t even hear the door suddenly shoot open and Maul frantically race over to him.

 

“ _Ezra_! Force, Ezra, stop!” Maul cried, sounding more panicked than Ezra had ever heard from him before.

 

Maul ripped the shard of glass from Ezra's grip and clasped a hand over the deep gash in the boy’s forearm, desperate to apply pressure even when the limb was so slick he could hardly hold on.

 

Ezra’s mind floated, and he wearily lifted his head to gaze at Maul’s hysterical expression. The Zabrak’s brow was furrowed and the accentuating tattoos on his face betrayed a look of complete alarm and horror.

 

“What have you _done_?” was all Maul could say. When he only got a dreamy, glassy-eyed look back from the boy, he shook Ezra slightly, trying to keep him aware. “Ezra, say something!”

 

Ezra said nothing, and started to slump down on tired, jellied limbs.

 

Maul spoke frantically into a comm at his own wrist, but Ezra couldn’t make out the panicked words. Soon enough, there were other people with them- and Ezra wondered if it might be a dream. It was so odd to see other people- strangers- here in his suite, as if Ezra thought the room was somehow an alternate dimension only he and Maul could enter. The presence of these people- all dressed in white, made the place seem more solid and grounded in reality.

 

Ezra was lifted by someone- he couldn’t tell who, to lay onto a flat, cushioned surface, and he stared at the ceiling with a detached gaze, savoring the promise of numbness from the sleep that was sure to come.

 

And it did come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: threat of rape (not carried through), self-harm and blood


	4. Part Four

In the palace’s private Med-Bay, Maul waited near Ezra’s unconscious body for hours. For a long while he quietly fussed over the boy’s IV or smoothed back his hair, stopping every so often to obsessively read Ezra's medical chart over and over again.

 

The on-looking doctors thought it was a little excessive- even the med droids and nurses buzzing around the infirmary were starting to become worried by their leader’s uncharacteristic behavior. They’d never seen Lord Maul act this way with anyone before, never seen the warrior king so caring or gentle. Normally Maul would have been wary to show even a bit of compassion in front of his followers, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about anything other than Ezra at the moment.

 

Maul’s comm chirped and flashed incessantly, the various people who were waiting on his word during the day probably alarmed by his sudden absence. He just switched it off, figuring Saxon could step up and lead in his stead- Maul thought Gar should make himself useful one last time before his execution anyways.

 

Even throughout the slow hours, Maul couldn’t bear to take his eyes off of Ezra. The sleeping boy looked so peaceful with that gentle expression on his smooth, calm face, but Maul knew that look didn’t betray the conflict and pain Ezra must be feeling inside. As the afternoon wore on, Maul sat in agonizing introspection as he was constantly plagued by thoughts that grew more frantic and worried by the hour.

 

Maul rubbed at his own face in exasperation, reaching to his forehead and massaging the headache from between his frontal horns. He waged an internal war, and there was no clear victor.

 

_I went too far,_ Maul thought, as his eyes flickered from his apprentice’s gently twitching lips and down to the thin, bandaged forearm. _It wasn’t supposed to happen like this... He wasn’t supposed to be hurt._

 

Though Ezra never should have said those fateful words at all, Maul conceded to the other side. The comparison to his cruel former Master was truly too much for the Zabrak to bear- it had sent him over the edge. It had made him snap.

 

Maul changed his mind again- resolute on the idea that having Ezra be hurt so gravely was simply going too far.

 

But then every time Maul thought back on what Ezra had said to him, he felt a renewed wash of anger flow through him, shattering his resolve.

 

_“I guess you’re just like him,”_  the memory of Ezra’s voice called to Maul from the depths of his mind. That phrase repeated in his head over and over- just as the Rebel’s words had repeated themselves on the screen in Ezra’s room. Maul shook his head again, not being able to handle the emotional conflict anymore. He shot up from his chair by the boy’s side and paced around- only for a moment, until he caught the sight of the sleeping Ezra once again, and couldn’t stop himself from sitting down by his side.

 

Maul reached slowly to Ezra’s face, pausing just before touching the boy. He realized he was still wearing his leather gloves and took a moment to slide them off before reaching back out towards Ezra’s cheek. Skin against skin, Maul slowly caressed the boy’s cheekbone, pouring all his attention into the feeling of the tiny, soft hairs sliding against his hand.

 

Maul’s fingers were not rough and calloused by any means, his habit of wearing gloves all his life had prevented him from having the hands of a working-class being- but Ezra’s skin was still far softer than his own. It was plush and pliant, giving way when Maul pressed gently into the pad of his cheek.

 

He cupped his hand there- the entire side of the boy’s little face, jaw to temple, fitting perfectly into his palm. He smoothed a thumb under Ezra’s eye and paused when the boy’s brow twitched just slightly. Maul let his hand wander all over, moving towards his hairline and sliding his fingers through the thick strands and massaging the roots.

 

Maul only wished he could touch Ezra like this under different circumstances.

 

* * *

 

Ezra couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment the dark nothing turned to consciousness. All he knew was reality eventually blurred into being, and he was half-aware and staring up at a bright-white ceiling in some place he’d never been before.

 

He was almost disappointed he had woken up at all.

 

There were sounds coming from somewhere around him, he realized, and he strained himself to make out the noises. There was the clicking of what sounded like medical equipment- distorted and wavering, like listening through water. Then there were gentle footsteps and the muffled beeps and chattering of droids off into the distance.

 

But also, Ezra finally realized, there was a hand exploring his face and carding itself through his hair with gentle pressure. He recognized the feeling of the warm touch- it was Maul.

 

If Ezra had the energy to jolt upwards and frantically crawl away, he would have. But he didn’t have the energy. Ezra felt drained in every way, and it felt as if a heavy, warm rock had settled squarely in his sternum, keeping him pinned flush on the bed. It was about the same sensation Ezra had felt when he had eaten the drugged meal Maul had gave him not long ago.

 

Ezra’s wide eyes flashed to Maul’s face and the panicked yelp that freed itself from Ezra’s throat came out only sounding like a pathetic whimper. For a moment Ezra irrationally thought that harming himself might only lead to another punishment, and even through the fuzz of the IV drugs, Ezra was scared. He wasn’t sure anymore how evil Maul was capable of being- but judging by the punishment of the previous day, there were depths of viciousness and cruelty to Maul that Ezra never thought any person had in them.

 

Maul immediately sensed Ezra’s terror and leaned in to shush him,

 

“Ssshh, Ezra- it’s all right, everything’s fine now,” He whispered to the panicked boy, “All is well- don’t be afraid.” Maul slid the palm of his hand over Ezra’s forehead, trying to calm and comfort him.

 

Ezra whimpered. He opened his mouth to speak and it felt heavy, his lips too numb to make any clear words.

 

“I’m sorry- _sorry_ \- please don’t pun-punish me, _I didn’t mean_ -”

 

“Hush, apprentice. We’ll not talk of punishments now,” Maul reached down slowly to hold Ezra’s good hand, the one that wasn’t bandaged in thick, white gauze. He held the flinching little fingers in his own, and rubbed at the knuckles with the pad of his thumb.

 

Ezra was puzzled by Maul’s sudden change of demeanor- and he wondered how much time had truly passed since falling unconscious. How could Maul’s mood switch so dramatically from the sadistic rage of the previous day? How can Maul suddenly be so gentle and kind after subjecting Ezra to horrible psychological torture and threatening to violently ravage him?  

 

“You’re-” Ezra squeaked, voice still hoarse from crying and wailing the previous day, “you’re not- ang-angry?” 

 

Maul just sighed, tired and weary, not knowing exactly how to answer that question. In truth, he _was_ angry, _of course_ he was angry, but he also recognized that his feelings could wait until Ezra was healed and healthy.

 

“I’m not angry at the moment, no.” Maul lied and shook his head, gentling his expression. “What you did- I want you to _understand_ , apprentice, what you said to me was perhaps the worst thing you could have ever said. But then...” Maul searched the room with his eyes, looking for a way to say what he was feeling, even when he wasn’t exactly sure what it was.

 

“When I woke this morning and checked the security cameras- and I saw you like that- I felt... _fear_ , Ezra.” Maul shrunk at his own words. “When you hurt yourself- I really thought, for one terrible moment, that I had lost you.”

 

Ezra frowned, not sure if this was real or all a cruel trick- just an _act_ to get the boy to care about Maul again just to dash his hopes once more. The ups and downs of their days together jaded the boy and made him suspicious, though he truly didn't want to be. It was all too tiring.

 

Maul stared, lips parted at Ezra who was now beginning to shake and sniffle. Maul came to the bitter realization that there had hardly been a single day since coming here that the boy didn’t cry. Maul could only helplessly look on as Ezra wept, and he thought it ironic that despite all his care for his apprentice, he made him feel sorrow more often than joy.

 

“ _Please, Ezra_ ,” Maul quietly pleaded, and Ezra thought those two words sounded more genuine than anything Maul’s ever said before, “ _please_ ,” the Zabrak practically begged, “I don’t want us to be like this forever.”

 

Ezra was crying in full, the sobs and hiccups shaking his little body as he lay on the cushioned medical cot, and the boy was suddenly so desperate for sympathy he didn’t care where he got it from. _Even if he hates me_ , Ezra thought, _even if he tortures and torments me, I still need him._

 

And the two of them, both sensing their sudden need for each other's touch, simultaneously reached their arms for the other. Maul got up to sit on the cot next to Ezra and pulled the small boy into his side for a gentle, trembling embrace.

 

Maul hugged the boy as tight as he could without hurting him or pressing into Ezra’s IV and injured arm. Maul sighed, a sad and mournful sound, and tucked Ezra’s face into the crook of his neck, allowing the boy to be enveloped by strong arms that held him still. Ezra moaned and whimpered into Maul's collarbone as the man shushed him, willing the boy’s seemingly endless tears to dry with his insistent, comforting caresses.

 

Ezra sat there, cupped into the arch of Maul’s body, as he pawed at the man’s broad back in a needy desperation. The boy thought for a moment- _if only it could be this way all the time_ \- if only they could get off this roller-coaster ride of pain and euphoria they call a relationship, then everything would be so much better. Ezra just wanted to stay tucked into Maul’s stabilizing, strong body forever, feeling his warmth and his stoic but kind gentleness, then Ezra could just stop fighting. He had lost the will to resist long ago.

 

Above Ezra, Maul was having a similar epiphany. It was only these moments that had ever kept him going- the tender, vulnerable moments between them where everything felt right and good. Maul realized the boy was more afraid of him than not anymore, and that thought alone hurt much more than he expected. Long ago, Maul wasn’t sure what the difference between fear and respect was- but it was all clear now.

 

Maul’s own expression started to twist, and he felt something for a moment that he never had experienced before. It was a stinging in his eyes and throat that shot up from his burning lungs, threatening to choke off his breath. The Zabrak took in one trembling lungful of air and rubbed harder at Ezra’s back, trying to soothe himself now more than the boy. The feeling passed eventually, and Maul put his nose into Ezra’s hair as he cupped the back of the boy’s little head. He pressed Ezra’s face into himself and put his lips to the top of his skull in a tender, prolonged kiss.  

 

When they parted, Ezra was still holding onto Maul, clutching his good hand in the man’s shirt and whimpering.

 

“Please I don’t wann- don’t wanna fight anymore, _please_ I give up, _I give up_ \--” Ezra was babbling desperately, mind all but broken from the torment. Maul held Ezra’s face cupped in two hands and rubbed the worried lines from around his eyes.

 

“You don’t have to fight it, Ezra, just give in, please, you’ll feel better- everything will be so much better, I promise.” Maul muttered back, and Ezra closed his eyes as the man leaned in to press another kiss to the boy’s hot forehead.

 

It wasn’t enough for Ezra, however, and before Maul could remove himself from his apprentice, the boy jerked up and caught Maul’s lips with his own, moving against them, clumsy and wet. He sniffled in between coming up for breaths of air, the hot little puffs tickling Maul’s jaw. Ezra was whimpering and mewling, needy and frantically wanting as he kissed Maul like a teenager figuring it out the first time. For Ezra, it was scary and confusing and experimental, and yet so incredibly cathartic. Maul let his apprentice take the comfort he needed for a few moments, but stopped Ezra’s frantic ministrations with a gentle hand to the side of his face.

 

“Enough,” he gently whispered, kind and consoling like talking to a child, “that’s enough, dear apprentice, you’re not in the right mind at the moment. You need rest now.”  

 

Ezra felt embarrassed and rejected, but he conceded and leaned back to take a cooling breath. Maul helped him lie down back on the cot, and Ezra wearily closed his eyes, exhausted once again. Maul sat by his side, still holding Ezra’s hand, as he watched the boy slowly fall to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Ezra was back in his room not long after, having either been carried by maul to his suite or rolled in on a gurney. As he gained his senses, he sat up a bit on shaking arms and looked about, taking in the changes around him.

 

He was lying on his old bed- the tall, soft, plush one- and his dresser and bedside table were present next to him, having been replaced as he rested. The table and chairs and books were back as well. All seemed normal, and it was like nothing had ever been moved in the first place.

 

Maul approached from the corner of Ezra’s vision, and the boy looked and smiled up at the man, showing his gratefulness without saying a word.

 

Maul sat next to Ezra at the edge of his bed, and held up a spoon and a cup full of- _something_.

 

“I’ve brought you food to eat, apprentice. You’ve skipped your last two meals and need your strength.”

 

“I’m okay,” Ezra whispered weakly, “I’m not hungry.” The boy looked over to the screen on the wall, which had long been switched back to the old simulation of the gardens, and judging by the shade of sunlight from the screen, it was already late.

 

“I’m surprised you haven’t left,” Ezra said wearily. “What about your official duties? I mean, I’m glad you’re here but you’re too important to stay inside with me all day.” Ezra tried out a good-natured grin, but simply couldn’t find the energy to make it convincing.

 

“Helping you get well is more important,” Maul said, “Mandalore will keep turning without me, I’m sure. Now,” he scooped a spoonful of food from the cup and held it out to Ezra, “I insist that you eat. Just humor me, apprentice.”

 

Not bothering to look at the food he was offered, Ezra took the strange, tepid, salty jelly into his mouth. He nearly chucked it as soon as it hit his tongue. Ezra jumped and looked at Maul with an expression of alarm and betrayal, one brow arched nearly all the way off his forehead.

 

Maul couldn’t help but laugh at Ezra’s reaction. It was a warm and melodious sound, so strange but beautiful to the boy’s ears. It was the first time he had heard Maul sound so genuinely amused, and it actually warmed his heart and the mood in the room grew casual and light.

 

“What _is_ that!?” Ezra shot to Maul as he held his tongue out, the salty and bitter taste making his mouth dry.

 

“It’s a recipe from Dathomir,” Maul chuckled. “Meant to give energy and nutrition to the ill and infirmed.”

 

“Yeah but- what is it made of? It tastes like salty shoes!”

 

“Jellied, cured meats and herbs. It’s very good for you, apprentice, just eat.” Maul grinned as if he savored the look of disgust on Ezra’s adorable face. The boy eyed him sideways, it was strange to see Maul so... happy?

 

Ezra steeled himself and ate another bite, allowing himself to grimace, if only just to entertain Maul.  

 

Maul fed his apprentice each spoonful as if he were a fussy child, and in that moment it was so easy for them to forget what had happened only a day prior. Despite how Ezra felt- weak from blood loss and in pain from the pounding soreness of his forearm, he felt good for once. It was as if the night had lifted and brought the dawn of a new era for the both of them. The previous day was nothing but a faded nightmare now.

  
  
After Ezra had choked down the whole cup of rotten-tasting jelly, Maul sat there next to him, saying nothing, and Ezra was silent as well. Not an awkward silence, but a comfortable, familiar one. The two allowed themselves to truly enjoy each other’s company for the first time in a long while, and all was good. It was in that comfortable silence that Ezra slept once again, next to Maul who sat quietly by his side, standing guard and watching over the boy.

 

* * *

 

 

Ezra didn’t expect Maul to be present when he woke up, but he was.

 

The Zabrak was slumped over in a chair next to Ezra’s bed, eyes closed, loosely clutching a data-pad in a twitching hand. For the first time, Ezra saw Maul sleeping, and the boy smiled at the sight.

 

Eyes wandering over Maul’s sleeping form, the boy thought he looked like a big loth-cat, curled up into sleep, but muscles still tight and poised to strike out at the smallest sign of danger. To know that Maul had to be ready for an attack even as he slept saddened Ezra. The boy then realized he truly couldn’t even start to imagine all the things the man had been through in his life- it was no wonder Maul had lashed out so viciously at the notion of being compared to the one who abused him for so many years.

 

When Ezra shifted audibly on the bed, Maul jerked awake with a gasp. He looked almost panicked for a split second, but his gaze went back to tired and dreamy as he registered Ezra next to him.

 

“Apprentice,” Maul yawned and checked the chrono built into his wristcomm, “I’ve overslept. There are things I must see to. You’ll be alright on your own?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

 

“Before I go, I have something for you. A gift. I might be away from the palace more often in the next few days, so I had this made.” Maul reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wristcomm, much more ornate and delicate than his own. “When your arm heals I want you to wear this at all times. You’ll be able to speak to me whenever you like. How does that sound?”

 

“Seriously? You mean I can talk to you anytime? I don’t have to wait around for you to show up anymore?”

 

“Correct. I imagine you’re very lonely during the day, and it’s unfair to force you to be without companionship for so many hours. I also realize there are some situations you may find yourself in that the service droid can’t attend to. Just promise me,” Maul’s voice grew quiet and slow, “I want you to promise me that if you ever feel...” he trailed off, trying to find the words.

 

“I’m guessing this about the- um.” Ezra gestured to his bandaged wrist and the Zabrak sighed minutely.

 

“Yes. I’m not going to pretend I’m not worried about you hurting yourself again, Ezra.”

 

“Oh.” was all Ezra could say. He wasn’t sure why he felt such shame for doing what he did- some part of himself knew he had been forced into it by the circumstances- but another part of his brain told him he did it out of weakness, or out of some deficiency of will. He felt guilty.

 

“Just keep your chin up for me while I’m gone, hm?” As Maul rose he playfully ruffled one gloved hand in the boy’s hair and placed the new wristcomm on the bedside table. He reluctantly left, knowing he had to leave Ezra and deal with his official duties, but not necessarily wanting to. Not after how good they’d been together over last day.

 

At least things were looking up.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Maul walked with purpose through the hallways of the palace, his step light as he pleasantly still thought on Ezra and their casual, friendly mood of the past day. Their relationship seemed to be taking a turn for the better, Maul thought. He could hardly care about what he’d been so angry for the day prior. Bonding with Ezra over the afternoon was very much worth the time he had spent away from his post- though unfortunately that had made the work pile up in his absence. Maul was currently on a mission to go rectify that.

 

He was hardly down the hall from his office when his comm chirped quickly three times, the special ringtone that signified Ezra was calling. Maul held the comm to his mouth,

 

“Ezra, apprentice- are you alright?” 

 

“I’m okay, I was just testing out the new comm.”

 

“Testing is hardly necessary,” Maul teased, “I give my apprentice only the highest-quality things.”

 

“Still,” Ezra giggled, “I just wanted to be sure I knew how to use it right. So what are you up to?”

 

Maul chortled, turning away from the receiver. _Such a needy little boy he’s become,_ Maul mused happily, _I’ve been away for less than five minutes and he already misses me._

 

“I’ve got to go down to the briefing room to hold a meeting at the moment,” Maul finally replied.

 

“What kind of meeting? Is it exciting?”

 

“Nothing that would interest you. It’s about a... peacekeeping mission. Of sorts.”

 

“Oh. Well have fun, I guess,” Ezra offered awkwardly with a pause. “Are you going to... come back later and eat with me?” In Ezra’s room, he sat hunched over the comm, but jerked it away from his mouth as he cringed at himself.

 

“Of course, apprentice,” Maul’s voice came clearly through the device, “I’ve got to go now, but I’ll see you later.”

 

No later than the words had left Maul’s mouth did he bump straight into Rook Kast outside the debriefing room.

 

“Sir! Sorry, Sir!” She blurted, as others behind them filed through the doorway. “Everyone’s all present and accounted for, may I inform them we’re beginning the meeting?” 

 

“Yes,” Maul addressed her, “and General Saxon is here?”

 

“He is.” She motioned towards the door with an awkward hand. “Though we had a bit of a problem with him. He needed to be... restrained a bit. We caught him at outgoing customs trying to defect.”

 

“Truly?” Maul scoffed. “Coward.”

 

Maul entered the debriefing room and looked to the various people in attendance. Advisors, Generals, senators and their assistants all stood awkwardly in waiting for him. Gar Saxon was particularly anxious, as he sat at the head of the long war table with his hands cuffed tightly behind his back. He didn’t look happy.

 

“Lord Maul.” Gar Saxon grunted, narrowing his eyes.

 

“Saxon.” Maul flashed a seething smile at him, then turned to the others, “Everyone, please take your seats.” Maul made a vague waving gesture and they did as he said.

 

When all was quiet and the people around the room looked expectantly at Maul, he began to speak.

 

“I’m holding this meeting inform you all of the promotion of one of my best and most loyal officers.” Maul started, and immediately the room was awash in hushed whispers. Saxon sat up and craned his head at all the attendees in puzzlement.

 

“General Saxon,” Maul gestured to the bound man, “I am promoting you to a Five-Star General and Chief of Staff of the Mandalorian Army.”

 

“Lord Maul-” Gar stuttered, “I thought...”

 

“You thought what?” Maul clipped.

 

“I- you _said_ you would ‘deal with’ me for-”

 

“For divulging sensitive intelligence to non-authorized personnel? For obstructing the operation of official state business? Is perhaps the threat of punishment why you attempted to defect from Mandalore?” Someone in the room coughed in the following silence.

 

“It wasn’t _defecting_ ,” Gar suddenly shouted, “It was saving my own skin!”

 

“Well, you won’t have to worry about any of that now. All is forgiven, General.” Maul smoothly said, and the people around the room stiffened and shifted in their seats.

 

“Are you- you can’t be serious.” Gar said after a moment of shock.

 

“I am.” Maul said. “So. Will you be accepting your promotion and the position of Five-Star General?”

 

“Y-yes!” Saxon breathed in relief, “Of course!”

 

“Perfect.” Maul crooned and walked over the General, helping him stand from his seat, “There is only one last test you must pass before accepting your new post.”

 

“What’s that, Lord Maul?” Gar said, as he fussed with the bindings that were curiously still secured around his wrists.

 

“The test is called,” Maul hummed, “ _surviving being cut in half._ ”

 

In one inhumanly fast motion, Maul drew the lightsaber from his belt, ignited it and bisected Gar Saxon at the waist with a single flick of his wrist. The flash of light that bathed the room in crimson was there and gone in no more than a second. Maul then stood casually and waited for the wide-eyed man to comprehend what had happened.

 

It took a moment, but soon some assistants and interns around the room were screeching and wailing in terror.

 

Gar Saxon stood convulsing, sputtering and choking on his own breath- until the top half of his body slowly slid from his hips and onto the floor with a thunk. His legs followed not long after, hanging torso-less in the air for a moment before collapsing to the ground next to the other twitching half of his body.

 

Maul looked down at his work with a bored expression.

 

“Seems he didn’t pass,” he mumbled.

 

Maul turned, looking satisfied, back to the rest of the attendees. Some were gaping at him in fear, others weren’t phased in the slightest. Rook Kast just sat there looking slightly concerned.

 

“Now, then-” Maul announced when the room had collected itself, “Gar Saxon is officially posthumously stripped of his title as General, and it will be put to the records that he was dishonorably discharged from service. Oh- and,” Maul turned to a random intern, “Have some flowers sent to Mrs. Saxon, will you?”

 

“Sir,” Rook Kast, now the only remaining General, spoke as she stood from her seat, “What shall I do about the empty position?”

 

“In light of Mr. Saxon failing his test and not being able to take up the post, I want _you_ to be promoted to Chief of Staff of the Army.” 

 

“No, thank you! Really, Lord Maul,” She shook her head nervously.

 

“No tests are necessary, Kast. You have served me well throughout the years and have proven to be of valuable service to me and to your planet. I had always planned on promoting you to be my second in command- and now is the perfect opportunity.” Maul stepped over to Kast and held out his hand to her.

 

She grasped the gloved hand and shook it with increasing confidence as she realized there were no catches or strings to the offer.

 

“Thank you, Lord Maul!” She excitedly chirped. Maul nodded.

 

Maul dismissed the rest of the room and watched with amusement as some of the traumatized assistants lumbered away numbly. It wasn’t yet lunchtime, but he had an opening in his day and thought about swinging by Ezra’s room to be with him for a while, though Maul wasn’t sure if the boy was resting or not. He decided to give Ezra a call and see if he was sleeping. Maul glanced down at his wristcomm-

 

It was still on.

 

It was still on, _and still connected to the call he had made with Ezra before the meeting._

 

Kriff.

 

Unknowing exactly how to handle the situation, Maul held his ear to the static of his wrist comm, trying to listen for any clue of Ezra's presence in the silence. When that didn't yield results, Maul called out a tepid,

 

"Ezra? Apprentice?"

 

Maul prayed the boy had left the comm on and fell asleep or walked away- and not the alternative, that he had been intently listening to the entire gruesome affair. The static wavered and a voice came back, oddly cheery,

 

"Hey! How was your, uh- meeting?"

 

"...Meeting?"

 

"About the... peacekeeping mission?"

 

Were they both just going to pretend it didn't happen? Maul didn’t know what to make of that.

 

"It went smoothly. The peace has been kept."

 

"That's good! I'll see you for lunch then?"

 

"Of course." Maul said, and switched the comm off- properly, this time.

 

* * *

 

 

In his room, Ezra sat, shaking slightly, holding the new wristcomm in a trembling hand. What he had heard transpire over the call was horrifying, and yet- he found himself not blaming Maul.

 

In fact, some part of Ezra felt a strange... gratefulness- and _understanding_ , over hearing what had gone down in the meeting room. Ezra knew it was all for him. It was all to protect him, all to keep him free from danger and his life secure and safe. Ezra found himself making excuses for Maul, but he didn't care. It simply wasn't worth the fight that would ensue if Ezra mentioned it- as the boy swore the time for struggling against the current of his new life was over. He had to pick his battles, now. And this wasn't one of them.

 

So the boy collected himself and waited for Maul to arrive for lunch, trying to push the brutal murder from his mind, trying to forget the panicked screams he heard over the transmission.

 

When Maul came later that day, there was an air of awkwardness around them for a few minutes, until Ezra assured him without words that the events that happened earlier were long forgotten.

 

"Later tonight, I was thinking of bringing over another holo-movie." Maul said as he rested after finishing his meal, "What do you think?"

 

"Sure!" Ezra smiled, "I always like watching holo-movies with you." Maul smirked at that.

 

"I'm very happy with how things are going, lately, Ezra. You seem to be in a good mood. Did you perhaps have an epiphany?"

 

"Yeah," Ezra chuckled. "I guess I just realized how I feel depends on the way I look at life."

 

"Oh?"

 

"If I make everything difficult, then it's going to be difficult. But if I look at life with a positive attitude then I'll have a much better time."

 

"That's wonderful, apprentice. I'm pleased you're beginning to see the potential in our new life together." Maul gazed at Ezra warmly and then an idea seemed to suddenly materialize in the Zabrak's mind. "Oh- I think I have the perfect surprise for you tonight after we finish our movie."

 

"What is it?"

 

"It's a _surprise_ , apprentice, so obviously I can't tell you." Maul teased, and then Ezra groaned.

 

" _Fine_. I'll wait."

 

"Good boy. Now, I must go again, though I'll see you for dinner later."

 

"Okay." Ezra said as Maul got up to leave, but then the boy called out to him, "Uhm! Maul, wait."

 

"Yes, apprentice?"

 

"I just wanted to say- _thank you_." Ezra slowly enunciated the words, as if they held more meaning behind them than it seemed on the surface.

 

"I thank you as well, my Ezra." Maul said back. "For everything." The two shared a deep look and then Maul was yet again reluctantly walking away.

 

* * *

 

“General Kast,” Maul greeted as the woman entered his office, “I need your opinion on an... important matter.”

 

“Of course, sir.” She replied as she fidgeted proudly with the new star gracing the chest of her uniform. “Any chance this is about the Rebels?”

 

“...Come again?”

 

“I just thought you called me here to talk about the rumored alliance between the Rebels and the Satine sympathizers.”

 

“No, Kast. That can wait for another day. What I need your counsel on is a far different matter.”

 

“Anything, Sir.”

 

“Have you ever,” Maul paused, looking for the words. “Gotten _close_ to someone?”

 

“You mean, romantically, Lord Maul?” She raised a brow at that. “I guess I have. I had a few boyfriends in my academy days.”  

 

“Then you know how to-” Maul paced around on the other side of his desk, looking pained at the notion of speaking about such things. “You know how to _advance_ things, when the time comes?”

 

Kast had to try her best to contain the girlish giggle that wanted free from her throat. She coughed.

 

“Lord Maul,” She smiled slyly, “are you asking me for advice on how to get Bridger in bed?”

 

Maul’s mouth glowered, but his eyes said _yes_.

 

“Look,” Kast began again, the professional tone of voice long gone, “I guess I’ll just tell you what my mother told me. Let things proceed naturally. Drop hints that you want to get close to him, but let him decide if and when he’s ready.”

 

“Interesting.” Maul said after a moment of thought, “What are these _hints_ , exactly?”

 

“Like- say you take him on a date,” Kast said, “If you want to get intimate with him, then wait for a particularly tense moment, and then just put an arm around him, or lean in for a kiss. Once you do that- then if he feels ready, things will just... happen.”

 

“I’ve already done that quite a few times, and nothing has ‘happened.’”

 

“Well, maybe he doesn’t want to do it yet.”

 

Maul paced some more in contemplation, chin in hand, as if trying to solve a particularly tricky equation.

 

“He _has_ done it before, right?” Kast asked.

 

“No, he’s untouched.” Maul said off-handedly.

 

“ _Oh_ ,” Kast intoned, as if that fact made all the difference. “Are you sure he even knows how to recognize your hints? Maybe he’s just confused. If he’s a virgin, I think you should just talk it out. Just be straight-up about what you need and communicate with him. You can’t expect someone with no experience in these things to initiate intimacy on their own.”

 

“There lies the issue, Kast. I _want_ to discuss it with him, but I don’t know if he’s ready to talk about it. And if I _can’t know_ if he’s ready to talk about it unless _we talk about it_. Do you see my conundrum?”

 

“Yeah, I guess that is kind of a catch-22.” She hooked her hands on her hips and stared into space. “But then again,” she began after a thought, “even if he’s not ready to talk, what would be the harm in just trying?”

 

“ _The harm_ would be pushing him away again- or causing him to fear me, or even causing him to believe he has no right to refuse my advances.”

 

“Ugh,” Kast grimaced. “I guess you’re right, Sir. I don’t really know, then. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

 

“It is of no consequence.” Maul said in disappointment, and waved her dismissal. Kast went to leave, but jerked to a stop as she got to the door.

 

“Wait- one last idea,” She said, turning around. “When I was in the academy I had this guy over in my dorm for a date once. He brought this really cheesy rom-com holo-vid for us to watch, and when it got to a romantic scene, he casually asked me what I thought about it. You should try something like that. If he’s ready to talk about sex, he’ll talk about it. If he’s not ready, then just backtrack and say you were asking about the movie in general. It’s a safe way to broach the topic without being totally direct.” Kast nodded at Maul as she turned to take her leave. “Just an idea!” She added as she went.

 

“Wait.” Maul said, stopping her.

 

“Yes, Sir?”

 

“Did it work? The... method you described?” He questioned awkwardly.

 

Rook Kast simply chuckled and winked.

 

And Maul was left standing over his desk in his office, more unsure than ever.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Maul.” Ezra jumped up from his book as Maul entered his room that night, “Did you bring the holo-movie?”

 

“I have, apprentice. Though I thought tonight we might try explore a different genre of film than usual.” Maul held the holo-disk out for Ezra to inspect, “What do you think?” 

 

“Light of Love 4: Roses in Bloom,” Ezra slowly read the title on the disk, then looked incredulously to the Zabrak, “Aren’t you normally more of a historical movie guy? The ones with lots of politics and killing and war and stuff?”

 

“We’ve...” Maul looked to the ceiling as he formulated a lie, “exhausted my collection of historical films. I’ve had to borrow this one from one of my assistants.” Ezra raised a brow.

 

“Well, okay, I guess we can try a new type of movie.” Ezra said as he jumped to the couch by the holo-projector. “I just hope this doesn’t have too much romance stuff,” the boy giggled. Maul swallowed, suddenly nervous. The droid waiting by the door came over to set up the projector while the two settled in on the sofa.

 

The holo-vid was just as Maul had suspected. Shallow, vapid, meaningless drivel for the masses. He hated every minute of it.

 

Though Ezra, even with all his pretending of not liking romance holo-movies, seemed to be enraptured by the drama unfolding before them. The boy inched closer and closer to Maul throughout the film until he was pressed flush to Maul’s side. Maul was grateful for this, and he decided to tolerate the holo as long as it brought him closer to his apprentice.

 

Then _the scene_ came. Maul had waited anxiously for over an hour- biding his time until the moment came where he would finally test the waters and see how Ezra felt about deepening their intimacy.

 

On the projection, the male and female leads were getting close to each other over a bottle of Corellian brandy at the male’s flat. The male leaned in to embrace the woman as she sighed dramatically, and the two inched their way closer to the bedroom in between kisses. Once they had entered the bedroom and lay down next to each other, Maul could feel Ezra stiffen next to him.

 

Ezra blushed at what was going on in the holo-movie. Maul couldn’t have meant to get a disk that showed... _that_ stuff, could he? Was this one of those 'adult' holo-disks? Ezra was too busy thinking on how awkward this was to pay any attention to Maul’s arm slowly wrapping around his waist. Ezra suddenly felt the hand on his hip rub there slightly, and Maul said,

 

“Ezra. What do you... _think_ about that... ?” It wasn’t meant to come out so clumsily, the Zabrak thought. Maul cringed at himself, thankful Ezra couldn’t see in the darkened room.

 

“About what?” Ezra said innocently.

 

Well _that_ wasn’t supposed to happen either. Was Ezra faking his naivete? Or did this mean he wasn’t ready to broach the topic? Did he truly not understand the question? Could he really not know of Maul’s intentions?? Maul just sighed. Subtle was _not_ the way to go about this, he realized. He regretted ever asking Kast about this.

 

“Maul?” Ezra asked, sounding concerned this time, “what’s going on?”

 

“Look, apprentice.” Maul said, reaching for the remote to shut off the holo-projector. “I need to speak with you about something.” Ezra sat back nervously, pulling away from Maul’s arm.

 

“What is it?” the boy asked quietly.

 

“I want to discuss our intimacy with you.”

 

“...Intimacy?”

 

“Yes, Ezra.” he looked at the boy expectantly, “ _sexual intercourse._ ” Maul blatantly said, leaving no room for confusion, “I want to know if you’re ready for that. With me.”

 

“ _Oh!_ ” Ezra nearly shouted, and jumped up in surprise at Maul’s straight-forwardness. “I don’t- I um.... I think...” Ezra paced around, mumbling and chattering.

 

“Calm yourself, apprentice, just be calm and slow down. There’s nothing to fear.”

 

“I mean, yeah, there is! I can’t- I just.... I--” Ezra’s babbling reached its peak and then suddenly cut off, as Ezra held his hands over his reddening face. He sighed and started over. “Maul- I don’t think I can do that.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I don’t- I don’t _know_ , I just don’t feel like it.”

 

“At what point will you be ready to?”

 

“If you keep _pressuring_ me, then _never!_ ”

 

“I am _not_ pressuring you- I never have and I never will.” Maul enunciated slowly, on the verge of anger, “I am simply asking what must be in place for you to feel ready to try.”

 

“I dunno, Maul...” Ezra shook his head, shutting down and turning away. Maul stood and went to put his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

 

“We are already close, physically and emotionally. And our trust in each other is growing by the day. If all proceeds as it is now then there will be a time when you want it. It’s only natural, Ezra.”

 

“Yeah, but... I’ve never... _done that_. With anyone, let alone... a _guy_.”

 

“I know, and it matters not.” Maul exhaled slowly through his nose, “I suppose the point of this conversation was to let you know it’s alright to want that- with me. I don’t want you to deny your urges.”

 

“Do you think...” Ezra turned, now facing Maul with those glinting, innocent blue eyes, “Is it _bad_ to want to do that? As a guy.... with another guy.”

 

“Of course not. There’s nothing ‘bad’ about wanting to be close to someone, Ezra.”

 

“Cause I just feel like, if I want it, then somehow I’m... _dirty_. Kanan always said-” Ezra paused when Maul narrowed his eyes at the idea of hearing about _Kanan Jarrus_ at a time like this. “Kanan used to make jokes about that. Guys who like other guys. He said it wasn’t natural.”

 

“Kanan is a fool. He knows nothing. He grew up in a Jedi Temple that forbade its followers from even thinking of such things. To the Jedi, any form of emotional attachment and intimacy is unnatural. Disregard what he has said, and do not remind me of him again.” Maul tried to gentle his tone as much as possible. “The only thing that matters now is you and I.” 

 

Ezra looked to the floor, steeling himself for the words to come. His eyes flickered back up to Maul, and he furrowed his brow as he spoke,

 

“I’ve... thought about it. Doing _that_ with... you.” Ezra whispered as he shrugged his shoulders in embarrassment.

 

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of, Ezra,” Maul ran a hand through the boy’s hair as he gently spoke, “I want you to feel safe with me, and trust me- in every way. Even with your body.”

 

“I guess... Maybe... I’d be willing to try it. When the time is right.” he blushed.

 

“That’s good, Ezra. That’s all I wanted to know.” Maul muttered and cupped Ezra’s face, “You don’t have to be afraid. I’ll take good care of you, when the time comes.” He gently guided Ezra by the shoulder back over to the sofa, where the holo-projector was paused on the movie.

 

“Now,” Maul started, tone of voice more playful, “As much as I hate this holo-movie, I hate leaving things unfinished even more.” He clicked the remote and it began playing again, and Ezra settled into his side once more.

 

Ezra leaned against Maul more relaxed and at ease than ever before. Now having discussed the true nature of their relationship, Ezra strangely felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. Everything was out in the open and there would be no surprises.

 

Ezra eventually slept against Maul, head cradled on Maul’s collarbone and under his chin, breathing lightly and twitching in a deep sleep. Maul continued to smooth his hand over Ezra’s shoulders and back and any part of the boy he could reach, until finally his hand wandered up to Ezra’s neck, and rested over the force-blocking shock collar.

 

Very gently, Maul pressed a fingertip over the fingerprint scanning security lock on the back, and it silently clicked open. Maul lifted the heavy device from Ezra’s neck as he still slept, and placed it on the table next to the couch, intent on getting rid of the device for good.

 

As Maul looked to Ezra’s sleeping face, he smiled a bit, and felt himself awash with gratefulness and contentment at looking at the boy. _This is the least I can do for you,_ Maul mused. _Enjoy your surprise, my apprentice._

 

And Maul watched on, as Ezra slept.

 

* * *

 

“Good morning, Lord Maul,” General Kast called as Maul entered the war room, “Did, by any chance.... The _strategy_ we talk about last night work with Bridger?”

 

“It did not, Kast, but everything resolved itself in the end.” He muttered. “All is well.”

 

“That’s good news, Sir.”

 

“It is. Now, please tell me why you called this emergency meeting?” Maul looked around the room, and realized they were the only two in attendance. Strange. What information could be so important and yet too sensitive to tell the other officers and advisors?

 

“Lord Maul,” She said, then looked around for a moment and began speaking quietly, “We found something at the palace gates early this morning. My officers say it’s just junk, but I have a feeling this was meant for you, maybe as a threat- or a message, I don’t know, but-” She reached into a box and pulled out a large, round object, “Does this mean anything to you?”

 

It was a Stormtrooper combat helmet- painted over with colorful lines in blues and greens and pinks, jagged lines that came together in the shape of a crown on the visor of the helmet.

 

Maul narrowed his eyes.

 

He stared.

 

“The head of the king...” he finally muttered quietly.

 

“What’s that, Sir?”

 

“If I had to guess, it’s meant to represent the decapitated head of a dethroned king,” Maul pointed at the painted lines forming a golden crown, “This is a threat. To me, specifically.” Maul held the helmet up in the air as he examined it.

 

Something was strange about it, he thought. It was almost as if something was...

 

He held it up to his ear.

 

_beep._

 

_beep._

 

_beep._

 

Maul’s hearts nearly stopped at the faint sound. For a split second, his entire body was ice.

 

“ _Kast!_ ” He roared, and he threw the helmet from the room and into the hall, as fast and as far as he could, “ _Take cover!_ ” He sprinted around to Rook and tackled her to the ground, acting on instinct and shielding them both behind the war table.

 

The guards in the hall were expendable, Maul thought, but not Kast. Not his best officer.

 

They huddled anxiously behind cover as they waited for the explosion. It came, a second sooner than Maul expected, and the entire room- kriff, the entire _palace_ shook with the impact of the deafeningly loud explosion. One wall of the war room came caving in, rock and dust flying up and filling the air with the fall of the bricks and plaster. Metal re-bar groaned and screeched as it bent, the concrete floor around them cracking under the weight of falling stone.

 

When the palace was still, all still but for bits of wall clinking to the ground and the foundation settling after being shook so violently, Maul raised his head from cover. Both he and Kast were breathing hard, choking on the thick dust in the air and the acrid smell of spent explosives. They stood.

 

“Kast-” Maul heaved, “Next time- _do not_ bring anything from outside the palace in here, do you understand?”

 

“Yes Sir, sorry Sir! I didn’t know... _Damn_ it all! I should have had it tested.”

 

“It’s all right, I suspect we’ve only lost a few guards. They can be replaced.” Maul wiped some dust from his brow and he grunted, “Peace has made us complacent, Kast. Made us too comfortable in our power. But from now on, we must be careful. I believe a war is upon us.”  

 

* * *

 

 

Maul made his way down to Ezra’s room on swift feet. Once inside, he spotted the boy settling in to take a bite of breakfast, and he called out to Ezra frantically,

 

“Don’t eat that, Ezra!” Maul’s loud voice came piercing through the room. Ezra jerked up,

 

“What? Why? What’s wrong?” He raised a brow as he held up a spoonful of soup.

 

“Just put it down.” Maul commanded, and he walked up and wrenched the spoon from Ezra’s hand and slammed it down on the tray, sending droplets of hot soup flying in all directions.

 

“Maul, are you going to tell me what’s going on? _Why_ can’t I eat breakfast!?”

 

“I don’t want to scare you, apprentice,” Maul sighed, and he pushed the tray of food aside, “but we’re under threat of terrorist attacks at the moment. Everything is suspect, even the food from the palace kitchens. We need to be careful.”

 

“Was that loud sound a few minutes ago...?”

 

“Yes, an explosion. They managed to get a bomb to the palace gates, past the guards and security systems. Then one of my officers unknowingly brought it inside.” Maul sat down next to Ezra, who was starting to look distraught. “It’s nothing to concern yourself over, Ezra. There is no safer place on Mandalore than right here in this room.” He rubbed the boy’s shoulder.

 

“Are you... in danger?” Ezra finally said.

 

“No. Of course not.” Maul smiled, “Don’t you know by now that nothing can kill me?” He teased.

 

“Still,” Ezra sighed, “it’s kind of scary. Maybe you could... Stay here with me for a while?” He looked up to Maul with open affection and hope.

 

“I wish I could, Ezra.” Maul said, “but unfortunately these people need my leadership now more than ever.”

 

“But... _I_ need you, too.” Ezra gazed at the Zabrak with a strange look, the boy feeling small and vulnerable.

 

_I need you._ How Maul loved hearing those words. The thought of being needed stroked his ego and fed his masculine desire to be depended upon. Those words went straight through his ears and down to his groin, and for a moment he wanted nothing more than to take the boy then and there.

 

But it wasn’t the time for that.

 

“Here,” Maul pulled a protein bar from his pocket and offered it to Ezra, “until we know for sure the food from the palace kitchens is safe, you will be eating from my personal stores.”

 

“Um... Okay.” Ezra looked at it in slight disappointment.

 

“Oh- and how are you doing without your collar? Settling in alright?”

 

“Yeah!” Ezra perked up, “it’s great, honestly! Thank you for taking it off. I almost forgot what it was like to have the force. Everything is so much clearer now.” The boy smiled warmly.

 

“You’ve been so good lately, you deserved a reward. It’s only a matter of time before all your freedoms are restored to you.” Maul ruffled Ezra’s hair in playful affection and left the room after exchanging a long look with his apprentice.

 

* * *

 

When Maul got a frantic call from the palace doctors later that day, he knew instantly it was about Ezra.

 

For a moment he was worried that the boy had harmed himself again, but when Maul rushed into the med bay and saw the boy doubled over on his cot, clutching his stomach in agony, he guessed it was poison. But _how_?

 

“Lord Maul,” the palace’s chief surgeon greeted, “the boy will be fine, though he’s a bit delirious. We knew you were busy, but Mr. Bridger insisted that we call you.”

 

“If it’s about my apprentice, never hesitate to contact me.” Maul stepped over and examined Ezra, who was writhing around on the medical cot in a sweaty haze. “What exactly happened to him?”

 

“We got an automated alert from his wrist-comm’s vital monitors that his heartbeat was unusually low,” the doctor explained, “and we sent a droid to retrieve the boy for a check-up. We found him like this, and so we ran some tests and eventually discovered poison in his system.”

 

“Yes, I _know_ that. I’m asking you _how_ was he poisoned.” Maul seethed, “I gave him food from my personal stores!” 

 

“That’s just it, Lord Maul. We tested the protein bar that was found in his room, and the poison was present in large doses.”

 

It couldn’t be.

 

“How...” Maul narrowed his eyes. “There’s no possible way the food from my own quarters could be tainted! The Rebels would have had to have someone _inside_ the palace, someone with high-security clearance!” He looked around to the doctors in the room. No one was safe anymore- _anyone_ could be a traitor.

 

“I’m sorry, Lord Maul," the attending doctor said, "I didn’t realize the war was progressing so quickly.”

 

“Make no mistake,” Maul said loudly, addressing everyone in the room. “This is no _war_. It is simply a small faction of Rebels with access to some crude poisons and bombs. It’s nothing to concern yourselves over. We will _crush_ them, do not forget this.”

 

Maul turned back to Ezra, and wiped some sweat from his forehead. The poor boy was obviously unaware of his surroundings, confused and scared. Maul sighed at the sight of Ezra’s pain.

 

“Tell me about this poison, Doctor.” Maul commanded.

 

“Well, I suppose it’d be more apt to call it a _venom_.” The doctor started, “specifically, it’s the venom of the Concordian Rock Spider, a very deadly creature, though not usually to humans. We’ve pumped his stomach and already administered an antidote, he will be fine, he just needs to ride out the symptoms for a day or two.”  

 

“Strange.” Maul commented. “Why use the venom of a spider? Why not use a more effective, synthetic poison?”

 

“Because, Lord Maul,” the doctor shifted nervously, “this venom interacts very badly with Zabrak physiology. It interrupts the secretion of the chemical in your brain that allows your two hearts to beat simultaneously. It’s effectively like cyanide for beings with more than one heart.”

 

“So.” Maul concluded. “This was poison was meant for me and me alone.”

 

“Yes, Sir. Any human would have been fine ingesting this, though for you, it would have been signing your death warrant. Seems the Rebels want to assassinate you, but minimize all other casualties. An interesting strategy.” 

 

“Indeed.” Maul agreed, but shook his head. “It matters not. Now- if the boy is safe for release, have him transferred back to his suite. I’ll watch over him until he’s well.” Maul nodded to the doctors and they rolled Ezra’s gurney from the Med-Bay.

 

“One last thing, Lord Maul,” the doctor added as they walked, “the symptoms of the poison include delirium, dizziness, fever, sweating and... well, prolonged erections.”

 

“Of course it does,” Maul sighed. “No matter.” He waved them off dismissively.

 

Things were certainly getting interesting.


	5. Part Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW: this chapter contains sexual situations

Maul watched over Ezra in his room, sitting by the bedside once again and comforting the boy through the dizziness and helping him calm down during the delirium-induced anxiety attacks. He gently doted on the boy until Ezra seemed to regain some of his awareness after a few hours.

 

“Maul...” He called out weakly from his bed, now soaked through in sweat. “I don’t feel good.” Ezra whimpered.

 

“I know, little one, but you’re getting better. It’ll be over soon.”

 

“I feel like... weird.” He glanced down at his clothes, which were wet and sticking to his body, “how did...?” he groaned in embarrassment when he saw his tented boxers.

 

“It’s a side-effect of the poison, don’t worry yourself.”

 

“Poison... You gave me poisoned food?”

 

“No, Ezra,” Maul smoothed the boy’s hair back from his sweaty forehead, “We’ve got a traitor in the palace and they’ve poisoned my personal ration stores. If I had eaten it, I would be dead by now, as the type of poison is exceedingly deadly to my species. Fortunately you'll be fine, the enzymes in the spider venom only cause high blood pressure and fever in humans. I hate to see you in pain, but you saved my life by eating that protein bar before I did.” Maul wiped a wet, cool cloth over Ezra’s face.

 

“Oh...” He sighed and fussed on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position to settle his burning limbs into, “Maul... I can’t take it. It hurts. It’s so hot...”

 

“I know, I know...” He shushed Ezra and helped the boy divest his sticky shirt, “Is this better?”

 

 

“No... It’s not that. It’s my-” Ezra grimaced. “The pressure and heat is too much.” The boy turned on his side and tucked his groin into his hands. He whimpered and sniffled.

  

“Ezra-” Maul rubbed a hand on his back and sighed, “...Do you need help? Do you want me to make it better?” Ezra sobbed helplessly at the idea, but turned his face to Maul, pleading him.

“ _Yes._  Please, just make it go away. I’ll do anything- I can’t take it anymore.” The boy mewled.

“Are you certain, little one?” Ezra nodded frantically and Maul helped him lay on his back and get comfortable. “I’m going to remove this now, alright?” Maul warned as he hooked his fingers into Ezra’s boxers and pulled down. The wet shorts were pulled down to Ezra’s knees and the boy’s reddened cock, painfully hard and swollen, sprang free. Ezra whimpered and reflexively covered himself with his hands, but then immediately retracted them. He screwed his eyes shut in shame and sobbed.

“Ezra, are you absolutely sure you want this now?” Maul gently asked.

“Yes-  _please._  I’m just... just embarrassed.” He said through his cringing.

“You needn’t be embarrassed, little one, not with me.” Maul caressed with one hand over the pad of Ezra’s belly and shushed him again, “I’m going to make everything better,  just relax and trust me.”

Ezra cracked his eyes open, hardly able to look down at the shameful and painfully vulnerable act that was unfolding. Maul’s hand slowly and insistently smoothed down his belly and made its way to between his pale thighs, eventually dipping between them and cupping a hand over his smooth balls. Ezra gasped and flinched.

“It’s sens-sensitive-” He breathed, “Don’t do it too hard, please...”

“I won’t. I’ll be good to you, don’t fret.” Maul’s hand massaged over the boy’s aching sac gently. “I’ll tend to you well, just lay back.” Ezra let his head drop down to the pillow and stifled a moan at the touch of the oddly skillful hand pressing and soothing between his legs. Maul’s other hand reached up to gently wrap about Ezra’s member, the cock that was normally modestly sized now swollen thick with blood. Ezra sighed at the relief

 

Maul slowly ran his clasped hand up and down Ezra’s dick, looking at his face and gauging his reaction. After a few strokes, Ezra’s body relaxed and practically melted into the bed. The expression on the boy’s face was no longer tight and distraught, and he groaned.

“Maul... feels so much better,”

“That’s good, I’m glad, apprentice.” Maul muttered and let his hand clasp the sore member a little tighter, now stroking its length with insistence, “do you need me to do anything else, Ezra?” Maul asked and the boy nodded dreamily.

“Can you... hug me while you do it?” He whispered, feeling self conscious at the request.

“Of course,” Maul said and moved to lay on the bed, lying over the boy and against his side. Maul hooked one arm under the boy’s neck and supported his neck and shoulders. “Like this?”

“Yeah,” Ezra sighed and snuggled his face into Maul’s chest as the man gently worked at his cock, “Feels closer... Safer.”

“You’re always safe with me, my apprentice,” Maul whispered and continued to stroke the boy’s hard but silky length. Maul pressed a kiss to the top of Ezra’s ear, letting himself breath into the side of Ezra’s face.

 

 Ezra’s little pants became faster and more labored, and the puffs of air tickled Maul’s neck. The closeness was spurring on his own member to grow, twitching in his trousers at the sensations and intimacy. Maul tried to ignore it- this wasn’t about him, and he didn’t want Ezra to think he needed to reciprocate. He moved his hips from Ezra’s side, hoping the boy didn’t notice the growing firmness pressing against him. Maul’s hand moved to the tip of Ezra’s member and massaged over the head, twisting his hand, and Ezra suddenly moaned into Maul’s collarbone. The boy helplessly thrust his hips in involuntary little movements that let Maul know he was close. It certainly didn’t take much stimulation to get Ezra to the edge in this state.

“That’s it, Ezra,” the man muttered into Ezra’s ear, encouraging, “Just let it go, let it happen.”

“ _Uhnn..._ ” Ezra groaned and whined, relinquishing control of his body to the older man’s ministrations.

“You’re almost there, little one, just let go.” Maul kissed Ezra’s temple with an open mouth, leaving hot, wet trails in the wake of his tongue and tasting the salt of Ezra’s sweat.

 

Ezra’s hips stuttered and he grimaced, seeing the edge of the white-hot climax inching closer with each movement of Maul’s hand. Every stroke to his aching cock was now slippery with the pre-cum that had been leaking from his tip, and Ezra panted loudly into the safety of Maul’s strong chest. Ezra’s orgasm came on hard and sudden, and he cried out in surprise, muffling his keening against Maul’s neck. His narrow hips shook violently as he pawed at the older man for stability, hardly hearing the words that Maul was muttering to him as he wailed.

“There you go. I’ve got you, little one, it’s all right. There’s a good boy. That’s it.” He coaxed as he slowed his movements around the twitching cock. Hot, thick cum spurted from Ezra’s member with weak pressure, dribbling down to coat Maul’s hand, Ezra’s hips, the bed sheets under them, and, embarrassingly, even Maul’s shirt. Ezra groaned and sobbed from the intense release, his head pounding when he finally took in a breath after holding it all through his climax. Maul’s hand moved slower and he skillfully milked the remaining cum from Ezra’s sore balls. He kept his movements steady and insistent until Ezra whimpered from over-stimulation.

 

When Ezra’s member was finally going soft and limp, the boy sobbed in shame. He opened his eyes and looked at Maul, whose clothing was splattered with the cooling cum.

“I’m sorry- sorry,” Ezra panted, “I got it-  _on_  you...” He sniffled.

“No, Ezra- it’s fine, everything’s okay,” He wrapped an arm around Ezra’s shoulders as they lay flush against each other, “it’s alright, it doesn’t matter. Don’t be embarrassed.” Maul kissed Ezra’s forehead and ran a hand through his damp hair. When the boy finally calmed and relaxed on the bed, breathing slowly, Maul kissed Ezra on the cheek.

“Do you feel better now, little one?” Maul whispered into the boy’s face.

“Y-yeah. It doesn’t hurt now. Thank you.” Ezra gently closed his eyes, feeling himself cool down in the afterglow.

“No need. Do you think you can get some sleep? Do you want me to turn off the lights?”

  
“I think I-  _oh no_.” Ezra suddenly took in a sharp breath, “ _no,_  not again!”

“Ezra? What is it?” The boy leaned up and looked down at himself, horrified that his spent member was already twitching and hardening once more. He sobbed a helpless, pained sound as he watched himself slowly grow thick and swollen again. “I can’t believe-” he cried, “why didn’t it...!?” Maul just sighed when he saw.

 

“I think the side-effects are going to last a bit longer than we expected.” Maul muttered, still caressing Ezra’s shoulder and side. “Do you need me to help you again?” Ezra just lay limply against Maul, silently crying. Maul tried his best to dry the boy’s tears, and when Ezra’s hips began clumsily thrusting into the air again, he reached down to clasp the needy cocklet in his large fist. Ezra folded his knees against himself, whimpering as he spread them as far as they could go, curling his body up and exposing his sac and twitching entrance to the air. He rolled his hips desperately as Maul pumped the aching member.

“Maul, please... Please...  _inside._ ” Ezra moaned. That surprised the older man, who looked at Ezra with uncertainty.

“You want me to put a finger inside you?” 

“Yes- please... I just want it to stop... Please make it stop...” Ezra hiccuped as he spoke shakily. Maul highly doubted it would work better than stimulating his penis, but he couldn’t exactly refuse Ezra in this state- not that he even wanted to. He trailed his hand down, across the boy’s flushed sac and to his tight little hole, and with a pre-cum slicked finger he massaged around the swollen entrance. The boy mewled and shut his eyes in shame, not able to look at Maul, whose finger was stimulating him in such an intimate place. Ezra had never touched himself there before, never even wanted to, but he somehow instinctively knew that kind of touch would help him feel better. And just as he suspected, Maul’s ministrations eventually soothed him and the heat from his burning body dissipated slightly. Ezra shuddered at the feeling of Maul’s finger circling his twitching hole with gentle pressure, and he whimpered at his vulnerability.

 

“Ezra, relax for me. It’s okay. I’ll take care of you.” Maul gently spoke to the boy, who moaned in reply. Ezra’s body relaxed minutely and Maul lined his finger up with the center of that tight heat and nudged it barely inside. He had less than half a centimetre inside the boy’s entrance when Ezra bucked his hips up and gasped,

“ _Ah! Ah, Maul!_ ” He cried breathily, “I dunno- I dunno if it can go in.”

“You can take it, Ezra. Relax and trust me, let me open you up.” Maul pressed gently, waiting for the hot ring clutching his finger to soften for him. “I’m going to ease it inside, you just relax your pelvis, little one.” As Maul eased the thick finger inside, a tiny bit at a time, Ezra panted and whined at the increasing intrusion. It felt so foreign to have something inside his sensitive hole for the first time, and Ezra’s virgin entrance clenched involuntarily as the boy tested the feel of being penetrated. It felt so odd and Ezra felt so exposed, but at the same time it distracted him from the fever heat and pain of the poison’s side effects.

“You’re doing so well, Ezra. You’re taking it so nicely. Does that feel alright?”

“Feels strange,” Ezra mewled. “But- good... It feels good.” When Maul had his whole finger stuffed inside his little apprentice, he hooked it upwards, towards the boy’s belly, searching for the special spot that would hopefully help Ezra feel better. He felt around slowly, probing Ezra’s delicate and sensitive insides.

“ _Ah!_ ” Ezra cried suddenly, “that- right there... What  _was_  that?” Ezra looked up to Maul with glazed eyes.

“That’s your prostate, little one.” Maul explained gently. It was such a shame the boy was so uneducated about his own body, though the man relished the chance to be the one to teach him. “I’m going to massage right here. It might feel a little strange at first, so just trust me. Trust my touch, Ezra.” Maul pressed more insistently at the spot, and Ezra whined at the feeling as a dribble of pre-cum escaped the tip of his pulsing cock. The boy could only press his head back to the bed and shut his eyes as Maul gently milked his prostate.

 

Ezra was gasping and pleading as he got closer to his climax, and Maul realized his own member was dangerously rock hard and aching to replace the finger he had inside Ezra. Maul let himself imagine it for a moment, what it would be like to have the boy stretched open and under him as he submissively received each firm thrust up into that tight heat. Just as Maul was lost in that delicious vision, Ezra’s hole suddenly clamped down on his finger and pulsated wildly as Ezra’s hips shook. Ezra was cumming hard and almost completely silently, his face screwed into a grimace of ecstasy as his chest heaved and his pelvic muscles contracted with incredible force. Maul continued to milk Ezra’s little prostate with gentle pressure, stroking and kneading it, guiding the boy through his orgasm and helping him pump out the last few drops of cum. Then Ezra was boneless, jellied body sheened with sweat and panting weakly. Maul pressed kisses to his face and comforted Ezra in the comedown. When Ezra’s passage was too sensitive to take anymore, Maul drew his finger slowly from the boy and eased it out, feeling the tight furl twitch as it closed up gently.

 

They lay against each other wearily as Ezra rested. Maul tried to ignore the insistent cock in his trousers, which was still hard, though slowly softening from neglect. Maul hoped the side effects would be receding now, as he didn’t know if his willpower could survive touching Ezra any longer.

  
Just when Ezra thought it was all over, his cock started twitching and inflating again. He was dizzy and shaking, mind on the verge of breaking from the torment of his insatiable body demanding pleasure over and over. He whined and cried into Maul, whose dick was hardening rapidly again at the sight of Ezra’s spent cock pulsing weakly.

“Maul...” Ezra whimpered. “Just do it, please. Just do it. For real this time.” The boy called up at the man. 

 

Maul, hearing those words, immediately shot up from his place next to Ezra, scrambled upwards and had himself kneeling against prone boy’s hips, between his spread legs. The cock in Maul’s trousers was twitching and leaking pre-cum at the idea, and Maul wanted nothing more than to claim his little apprentice in the way a man properly claims his wife. It was all he could think about, after nearly an hour of all the teasing and touching, and in that moment he had every intention of doing it. But even as Maul gripped Ezra’s thigh with one hand and his zipper with the other, there was something in the back of his mind telling him to stop. He looked to Ezra’s flushed face, searching the tight, pained expression.

  
Was the boy even capable of understanding what he was asking for? Did he truly want it, or was he simply so eager to relieve the pain and aching of his fevered body? Maul shook his head, looking down into Ezra's eyes- the eyes that were normally so sharp and bright now glassy and dull and unaware. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. It was  _supposed_  to be slow and ritual and intentional, not a hasty and desperate act, committed under the haze of drugs and delirium. How would Ezra even feel tomorrow? Would he wake up groggy and sore and full of regret, thinking Maul took advantage of his weakness and vulnerability in this pathetic state? Maul had sworn he would not take anymore than Ezra was willing to give. But what exactly ‘willing' meant now, Maul wasn't entirely certain.

Maul's hand dropped from his zipper, and he visibly deflated, disappointed but resolute. It was he who was supposedly responsible for Ezra. Responsible for caring for him, for guiding and teaching him, even making hard decisions for him. And so he made his decision. He just couldn’t do it.

  
“Ezra, no.” Maul finally sighed. “I’m not going to do that.” He laid back down and held Ezra again, who started to whine and writhe at the refusal. 

 

“I want it, please.” The boy said. “ _Please_  help me.” He rolled his hips.

“I very much want to, Ezra. I want to be intimate with you- but it isn’t the right time. You’re not in the right state of mind now.” Ezra just whimpered and pouted, putting on his cutest pleading face for Maul. It would have worked under different circumstances, but all Maul could think about at the moment was how Ezra was deep under the influence of whatever wretched drugs and poisons he’d been given, and Maul hated himself for even entertaining Ezra’s requests this whole time.

 

“B-but I said it’s okay...”

 

“It matters not. This isn’t true consent, Ezra.” Maul smoothed back Ezra’s bangs and kissed his forehead. “When we finally share our bodies with one another, I need it to be something you truly want. Not just something to help you relieve symptoms of a drug. Do you understand?”

 

“I- I guess...” Ezra mumbled.

“Tomorrow, when you’re well again, you will understand why I declined.” Maul caressed Ezra’s cheek one last time before getting up and walking away from the bed. Ezra cried out at the loss.

 

“Where are you going!?”

 

“It’s alright, I’m going to get something that might help you sleep. Now that we've relieved the worst of the symptoms, I think you need some quality rest.” Maul was across the room and he dug through a paper bag the doctor had given him, and retrieved a sterile, packaged syringe and small vial of clear liquid. “I didn’t want to use this save for as a last resort, I hate the thought of giving you more drugs than is already in your system.”

 

“What- what is it?” Ezra stuttered, now fearfully watching the thin syringe Maul was filling.

 

“It’s a sedative.” Maul told Ezra as he approached the bed and sat down by the naked boy. “Since the  _other_ method of calming you is only working to an extent, I think it’s time we try this.” Ezra flinched when Maul brought the needle close to his arm.

 

“It won’t hurt,” Maul crooned, “and when you wake tomorrow all of this will be over, I promise. Alright?” Ezra nodded and Maul skilfully injected Ezra with the cold solution. “See?” Maul said when it was over, “not even a pinch.”

 

Ezra rubbed his arm where the needle had pricked his skin. It felt itchy, that was the last thing he knew before slumping over and passing out. Maul only stayed for a little while after to wipe Ezra with a cool, wet cloth, cleaning sweat and other fluids from the boy with care. As he left the room, he cast a bittersweet look to the peaceful Ezra, confident he had done the right thing, no matter how much he wanted otherwise. 

 

_There will be other times,_  he comforted himself. ... _Please let there be other times._

 

 

 "Brother?" Savage said carefully, trying to read the odd look on Maul's face.

They were standing in the cockpit of the Nightbrother, the vessel that had become their home away from home for so many months. It was only now the atmosphere in the ship had become strained and rigid. Something was on Maul's mind.

 

Maul had just come back from a mysterious mission on Lothal, and he'd been reluctant to tell Savage any details about his business there- until now. Shortly after boarding, Maul called Savage into the cockpit for what seemed like an important announcement. Only it seemed that the words had gotten caught in Maul's throat.

 

"You... needed to tell me something?" Savage gently prodded.

 

"Yes. I have... news." Maul looked at his brother with barely hidden nervousness. "What if I told you- there was... someone."

 

"What do you mean,  _someone?_ " Savage cocked his brow. "Like, someone that you- are..."

 

" _Involved_ with." Maul finished the sentence. Maul's jaw slammed shut and he tensed his hands, which had somehow become closed, rigid fists shaking by his side. Savage seemed to be processing his words, and Maul only hoped the moments after wouldn't hold an explosion of jealous rage from his brother. After a long moment, Savage sighed and a lopsided smile lifted his face.

 

"Thank the Winged God!" Savage laughed. "I thought you'd never find a mate."

 

"W-what."

 

"I'm happy for you, brother! Why are you looking at me like as if you expect the worst?"

 

"I only thought- perhaps you'd be..."

 

"You think I'd see you as weak for needing companionship? Or I'd be jealous instead of happy for my brother finally finding a mate? Of course not! Where do you even get these ideas?" Savage opened his arms and offered them in a congratulatory hug, but then, reminding himself who his brother was, he retracted his arms and simply smiled warmly at Maul. "So when can I meet her? Oh- have you told mother of this? Surely she'll want to meet the woman who has caught your eye."

 

Then, the air around them suddenly changed, and it was no longer warm or friendly or jovial. There was a cold, acrid shame in the cockpit and Maul lowered his eyes. Savage wanted to nudge Maul, make him look up, tell him what he had said wrong. But he was silent, and waited.

"It's not... a woman, Savage." Maul finally mumbled.

Without missing a beat, Savage laughed a hearty chuckle in relief. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, brother!" Savage said gently, and Maul looked up to him cautiously. Savage playfully pushed his fist to Maul's shoulder in a familial gesture, "Plenty of Nightbrothers on Dathomir have men as mates, it's normal. In fact it's better, in some ways!"

"You... truly think so?" Maul asked, still cautious of Savage's acceptance of all this. "I will never sire children with him-"

"It matters not! Mother and I won't care, either way."

"I am..." Maul had to push the hiccup in his chest down, the strange elated feeling that came bubbling up at Savage's supportive words. "I am glad, brother." Maul finally said.

 "But now I'll never stop bothering you about meeting him, you know that, yes?" Savage teased. Maul gave a half-grin and huffed in pretend annoyance.

"Of course." Maul said. "My brother, an endless source of irritation." He shook his head, hardly being able to hide his smile of relief and contentment. The journey back to Dathomir would be a long one, but when they arrived, the whole family would gather around the feasting table and gossip about Maul's new mate, making predictions about what the mysterious boy was like, and relentlessly prodding an exasperated Maul for more and more intimate details of their relationship. It sounded like hell. But for some reason, Maul was looking forward to it.

* * *

 Maul woke in his own bed early in the morning, as the warm, orange light streamed through the shimmersilk curtains. It took a few good moments for the euphoria to abruptly vanish, when Maul was hit with the realization that he was  _not_  on the Nightbrother, he was  _not_  going to Dathomir to be with his family, and Savage was  _not_  alive. The memories of what were and what could have been were more painful than the tragedy itself. It followed him wherever he went, haunting his waking life and his dreams. Part of Maul only wished he could forget. Another small, wretched part of his soul wished he'd never had a brother or a family at all, so he could not possibly know the pain of missing. He pushed it away instead, and tried to focus on what he  _did_  have. Ezra.

 

Throwing on a tunic and trousers, he lumbered sleepily over into the next room where his office was, and sat in the large chair at his desk. He checked the security cameras for Ezra's suite, and felt relief at seeing the boy sleeping soundly in his bed, nestled safely into warm blankets and soft pillows. When all this seemed ridiculous, when everything he did for and to Ezra clouded his mind with doubt and the ghost of guilt for Ezra's situation, he only needed to think back to Savage, and he'd remember why it was all necessary.

  
Ezra had to be kept safe, from himself and also from the outside world, from people who would hurt him and tear him away. He  _had_ to protect Ezra, even if the boy sometimes hated him for it. Losing another person was more than Maul could possibly bear.

 Ezra stirred on the screen, and sat up on shaking arms, looking around with the beginnings of distress. Maul decided to go to the boy, who was probably confused about what had happened the previous night. Maul silently prepared an explanation in his mind as he retrieved the keycard to the elevator from the drawer in his desk.

 

When Maul made his way down to the suite, Ezra was already dressed and sitting on the bed, seemingly deep in thought. He looked up to Maul with a drowsy, unfocused gaze. The boy smiled sheepishly.

"Hey-" Ezra greeted. He stopped short, as if he had decided not to say something that was on his mind. Ezra simply shifted where he sat.

"Good morning, apprentice." Maul said, and slowly sat down next to Ezra, who was perched on the edge of the bed. Maul rubbed at his apprentice's shoulder with a gentle hand, searching the boy's eyes. "Are you feeling well?"

"I'm okay." Ezra replied awkwardly. The boy didn't seem comfortable offering any more. But it needed to be discussed, and so Maul cleared his throat.

"I think we need to talk about what happened last night, Ezra." Maul began, "I don't want you to feel confused about what we did together."

"Oh." Ezra muttered. That was the  _last_  thing he wanted to talk about, and his face burned in embarrassment. "Yeah. I'm- I'm sorry about... everything. I wasn't in control of myself last night." Ezra averted his gaze.

"There's nothing to be  _sorry_ for, little one. Why are you apologizing?"

"Honestly?" Ezra sighed, "I really don't know. I guess I'm just... embarrassed. And confused."

"Ezra," Maul suddenly turned serious, "I need to ask you- and please answer me  _truthfully._  Do you regret what we did together?" Ezra's head jerked around and he gaped at Maul.

"N-no! I don't  _regret_  it! I don't. Really." He reached out for Maul, and carefully smoothed his palm over the man's firm chest. Ezra felt like a little kid every time he touched Maul, so unsure and unused to physical closeness, always wondering if he was doing it right. "I don't regret it. I just feel... strange. Not  _bad_  strange. Just- different. I've never done anything like that before." 

 

"Did you enjoy it? Being intimate with me?" Maul said quietly, almost half-afraid of the answer he might get.

"Y-yeah." Ezra smiled nervously, shrugging his shoulders. "It felt... good." He said. Maul let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I'm glad." Maul ruffled Ezra's hair and leaned in to plant a kiss to the boy's hot forehead, parting after a long moment. "Truthfully, I wasn't quite sure that you were ready for it- and if I may speak plainly, I believe you're still not ready for intercourse. Which is why I decided not to take you fully last night."

"Oh!" Ezra cringed, suddenly remembering vividly how he had practically  _begged_  Maul to have sex with him. He groaned at the memory. "Yeah... I can't believe I said all those things. It's just- I felt like I needed it  _so_  bad, you don't know what it was like!"

Maul chuckled. If only the boy knew how Maul  _was_  aware of the feeling of needing someone so intensely. If only the boy knew that's how Maul felt about  _him._

"I understand, Ezra. You weren't in the right mind. It is of no consequence."

"But- really. I just need to say... thanks." Ezra softened his gaze and smiled Maul, "Thank you for not... you know. I'm definitely not ready for that right now, I think. So I really appreciate that you had my best interests in mind."

  Long seconds passed, each one gazing at the other in comfortable silence, feeling the warmth of the moment and the rightness of their affection for one another. Maul suddenly sat back with a playful look on his face, as if a cheerful idea had come to him.

"It's been a while since you last were outside, correct?" Maul started. Ezra lifted a brow, almost not wanting to believe what that sentence suggested.

"Right..." The boy cautiously replied.

"Perhaps you should get some fresh air with me today. How about I call my driver and take you on a ride through the city?" Ezra's face cracked into a child-like grin and he beamed. Maul took that as a yes, and not long after, they left the palace grounds together for the first time in forever.

 

 

* * *

 

 A royal security detail led Prime Minister Almec through the palace halls with purpose, swiftly turning corners and rushing to slide counterfeited keycards into high-security locks. Almec held his shaking hands clasped behind his back and set his jaw. Suddenly turning to one of his bodyguards, he whispered,

"You're certain they're not in? Where did you get this intel, anyways?"

"One of our own posted in the security office notified us, sir. He saw them leave not long ago. And apparently Lord Maul's personal speeder is not in the garage, so they probably went out for a drive."

"Let's be swift, regardless." Almec clipped. "I wouldn't put it past Maul to lay such a trap. Do  _not_  underestimate him." They arrived at the entrance to Maul's personal office, and Almec turned to look suspiciously up and down the empty hallway, heart pounding. He was  _not_  good at this, the Prime Minister thought with a quiet sigh. He was suited to  _politics,_  not espionage, and the giddy nervousness in his chest was liable to cause the old man a heart attack. He gathered himself anyways.

Holding a shaky breath, Almec slid the hacked security key into the console by the door and silently prayed. It opened after a tense moment and the trio stepped inside.

"Are you absolutely certain Maul will not be able to pull up the log for today's console access?" Almec shakily asked the guards at his tail.

"Yes sir." One of them answered. "IT ensured us our visit here will be invisible. They'll take care of security cam footage as well."

  
Almec didn't feel much better about their presence here. If Maul knew of this little visit, it would all be over. It didn't matter if Almec could come up with a believable excuse, Maul was too sharp and too cautious to tolerate even the possibility of betrayal. And  _that_ precisely is why his reign has so far been unchallenged. 

 

But times were changing.

 

 "Alright." Almec announced. "Look around. Look for anything that can tell us where he's hid the boy. Leave no stone unturned."

The armed guards set to work, quietly shuffling through documents in drawers and moving books around on the shelves, waving around an infrared scanner that could tell them where hidden switches and wiring were laying. Almec himself sat at Maul's huge work desk, briefly looking at his own reflection in the many black deactivated console screens.

 _Why so many monitors...?_  he wondered.  _Are these for the palace security cams?_

The Prime Minister fumbled around the desk, running his fingers underneath and around every surface, searching for the switch to turn it all on. His eye caught a drawer, the leftmost bottom one, which was strangely left slightly ajar. Whatever was in there, it had been accessed recently. He slowly drew it open and watched with wide eyes what revealed itself within. A single keycard lay next to a small, boxy, electronic device. Looking over its many buttons and switches, Almec squinted his eyes and called out to his guards.

"Over here!" Almec hissed. "I think this must be important." They walked over and all three hovered above the find.

"I believe this is a remote, sir, likely for this console on Maul's desk." One guard announced, then gently picked it up. He pointed the device towards the many screens docked in the desk and experimentally pressed a button. After a soft beep, each monitor flashed on and glowed with a cold, blue light. The screens showed still images of a room from many angles.

"They're just security cams, sir." The guard mumbled.

 

 "Wait-" the other armed guard interrupted. "These aren't any rooms I've seen before. I've been posted all over the palace and I've never been in a room like that. Is that...  _Kriff._  Is  _that_ where he's been keeping the kid? In this room, locked up with all these cameras pointed at him day and night?" There was a moment of tense silence as the three men processed the thought.

"Well." Almec said, "It looks like the room has a large window facing the gardens on one wall. It should be easy enough to find."

"Sir," a guard started, "There are no private suites facing the gardens. All the rooms around the garden's perimeter are for official use."

"Well obviously you didn't check thoroughly enough," Almec huffed.

"No, he's right, sir." The other mumbled, eyes glued to the screen, obviously concentrating hard on something. "And... I don't think that's a window."

 

They all leaned in. "Look at how it flickers slightly, how there are subtle stripes and lines moving across it. This only shows up on the window. It looks very similar to video footage of computer screens."

 

"That's not good news," Almec said, "If that window is a console screen, it just means the room could be  _anywhere._ "

 "But we have this, at least." The guard said, retrieving the lone keycard from the drawer. "This must be the key to getting in that room. Now we need only find the door."

 

"Which could be  _anywhere,_  as I said." The Prime Minister snipped again, growing impatient and nervous. "We should try this another day, men, it's been nearly 20 minutes now and we don't know when Maul is coming back. He could be on his way as we speak."

 

" _No._ " the guard shot back. "With all due respect,  _sir_ , I'm not quitting now. I'm not leaving this place until we make some actual progress. We need to  _find_ that room and plant the device  _today_ , otherwise it could ruin all our plans." The guard stood defiantly and turned his gaze to his comrade, who nodded in solidarity. Almec stood shocked.

 

"Have you two gone  _mad_?" He stuttered, incredulous. "How dare you? Firstly, I give the orders here,  _boy,_  and secondly-"

 

"My name is not  _boy,_  sir. It's private Yana Hanloe, and I'm starting to believe Lark and I could have done this mission ourselves." Hanloe removed his helmet, revealing an annoyed expression which he turned to the stunned Prime Minister. "Your 'orders' have done very little to benefit us, and quite frankly- neither of us are too sure exactly  _where_  your true loyalties lie. Maybe today it's with the Rebels, but tomorrow if someone comes along who pays just a little bit more, there's no question you'd jump ship."

 

"Are we really doing this  _in Maul's office?_ " Almec practically spat in annoyance. "Regardless of what you think of me and my loyalties, we don't have  _time_ for bickering. I need you put everything back in order and cover up our presence here before Maul comes back!"

 

Hanloe didn't seem to hear or care what the prime minister was saying, and suddenly walked forward, aggressively waving the keycard in Almec's face and trapping the older man against the wall.

 

"Maybe for  _you_  this is about money-" Hanloe growled, "But this whole thing is  _personal_ for me. Did you know my sister  _and_  my father  _died_  in the Siege of Mandalore? That's right, I have no one left in this world- and it's all because of  _him._  The  _outsider_  that just waltzed one day in and played with all of our lives as if we were toy soldiers in a child's game of war."

 

Almec swallowed. Hanloe leaned in, pressing both hands to the wall at each side of Almec's head, bracketing the now shaking man. Hanloe readied a breath, mere seconds from telling Almec  _all_ about what he thought of him, politicians, and Maul, when the keycard grasped between his fingers beeped.

 

It beeped again.

 

The emotional charge drained from the room and they stood in confusion.

  

Lark cocked a brow and walked forward to investigate what had activated the keycard. "I think it means you didn't swipe it properly," he said.

 

"What do you mean, swipe it? I didn't swipe it! There's no console here to swipe it in!" Hanloe pushed Almec aside and investigated the wall he'd been pushed against. "There's no door here. Why is it beeping?"

 

Lark quietly gasped, as if he had realized something important, and grabbed the keycard from Hanloe's hand.

 

"Of  _course_!" Lark said in amazement. "How did I not think of this?" He leaned down and ran his palms flat against the spread of wall behind Maul's desk, deep in concentration, and suddenly his fingers found what he had been looking for. A small slot in the wall, almost unnoticeable. He swiped the card in that shallow slot and stood back. What they saw shocked all three of them.

 

The wall silently opened to reveal thick Durasteel doors, panels sliding into itself to show off the precise engineering of the mechanisms and parts. 

 

 _You could have never known it was there in the first place,_ Lark gawked.  _If you hadn't heard about Maul's hush-hush construction project, that is._ Almec let go of a breath.

 

"I'll forgive your outburst just now, Private Hanloe." He muttered humorlessly as he stared at the door.

 

"Lark, how did you know?" Hanloe gasped.

 

"You weren't working here at the time, but years ago, shortly after Maul took control of Sundari for the second time, there was a big deal in the palace about a construction project in the office wing. Everyone was talking about it because it was supposedly top-tier clearance only. There were off-world engineers flown in to work on it. We just thought it was some security related thing, maybe panic rooms or something like that- but I guess... This was it."

 

"Kriff." Hanloe whispered. "So you're saying... Maul planned this...  _years_  ago? He's planned on kidnapping the boy since he got here? That's...  _sick._ "

 

"We don't have time to think on the implications, men." Almec interrupted. "We need to get in there, plant the device and get out. Let's move quickly and get it done while we still have time." And so they did.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 Coming back from the first outing Ezra had in a long time, he felt almost high. Maybe even better than that. As he walked side by side with Maul back to his palace suite, he felt his footsteps become light and his chest constrict with giddy joy. The boy beamed up at Maul, who had an arm casually wrapped around Ezra's shoulders. Maul caught his gaze and smiled back a lopsided grin.

 "I never knew Sundari was so modern! It's way more high-tech than Lothal. I wonder what my life would have been like if I grew up here..."

"It is a satisfactory place, Mandalore." Maul mused, "Hard to compare with my years spent on Coruscant, of course."

"You grew up on Coruscant?" Ezra turned his head with interest. "You never mentioned that before."

"I 'grew up' in many places, apprentice. Mustafar when I was a child and Coruscant when I was older. But that's rather boring. It is of no interest to you, I assure you." Maul grasped the ball of Ezra's shoulder and squeezed affectionately. He preferred not to tell Ezra too much of his upbringing if he could help it.

The two arrived in Maul's office and Ezra stood patiently while Maul fetched the keycard from his desk to open the door to Ezra's suite elevator. Maul sat down tiredly at his desk and reached down to the drawer he kept his keycard in- the leftmost bottom one. The drawer was shut all the way. Maul paused. 

 

 

 Maul was getting on in years, this he bitterly realized. At more than 55 standard years old, he often found himself trying harder than normal to remember mundane things, or complete tasks that would have given him no trouble when he was young. But he was still far sharper than an average human of similar age, thanks to his years of intense Sith training and incredible force-sensitivity. Maul found himself wondering if he'd truly finally hit the age when he'd start to decline in mental acuity or if perhaps there _really_ was something off about that drawer. It just didn't sit right with him.

 

Nothing about that office, the elevator, or his security console sat right with him.

 

And Maul decided today wasn't the day to begin doubting himself.


End file.
